Call for Papers 

Click here to download a PDF of the Call for Papers.

As interdependence among economies and societies deepens with the growth of transnational business and social networks, so too does the ability of States and non-state actors to hinder or facilitate the pursuit of social justice beyond borders. The foundations of social justice are rooted in principles like equality or mutuality that aim to organize relationships between human beings, and between society and its members. As the cross-border dimensions of these relationships intensify and the borders of societies become more permeable, our understanding of social justice and its impact on how individuals, societies and States relate to each other deserves re-examination. Key issues include: the conceptualization of social justice in contemporary context; its corollary implications on the rules and institutions that govern cross-border economic and social transactions; and its impact on how the rights and responsibilities of States and non-state actors are recognized and applied in specific fields of international and transnational law. 

The research initiative, Contextualizing social justice in transnational and international law, seeks to examine such issues in a series of research dialogues leading to scholarly published contributions, launched by means of a research workshop in Windsor on 8 August 2016. We invite contributions that seek to engage in these types of questions, for instance: 

• To what extent is the reach and content of the concept of social justice evolving as cross-border dimensions and experiences of “society” evolve? 

• How do political relations or institutional and legal practices of economic and social actors across borders influence ways in which the pursuit of social justice is expressed (e.g., conditions, processes, structures or outcomes defined in socio-economic or political terms)? What rights and duties of individuals, societies, or States give legal articulation to these qualities of social justice? 

• In what way(s) can a reconstructed social justice concept serve as an analytical or theoretical tool to assess the theory, rules and institutions of international economic and social law and transnational cooperation? 

• What legal rights and responsibilities relating to social justice are recognized in theory and practice in contemporary cross-border legal contexts (e.g. non- obstruction, facilitation, the precautionary principle)? How do they relate to States’ national effort or international cooperation, international organizations, or non-state actors like business, civil society groups, and local communities? 

Areas of interest include the fields of international and transnational law concerning: 

• Trade, investment or financial regulation 

• Development, international cooperation and national capacity 

• Environmental justice, sustainability and displacement 

• Work, employment and industrial relations, and supply chains 

• Epidemics, markets and access to health care 

• Conflict and migration 

• States and markets – public/private governance from local to global 

• Intellectual property, development, and markets 

We welcome dialogue across philosophical, political, socio-economic and legal disciplines as well as empirical, theoretical, and inter-disciplinary approaches. 

Prospective participants are invited to submit their applications by 6 May 2016, by email to socialjusticeTLJN@uwindsor.ca. Please include: 

• An abstract of 300 words maximum (in English or French) 

• Your name(s), affiliation(s) and contact information 

• A short biography 

​Research workshop: 8 August 2016, 9 am-5 pm, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor. Draft papers may be in English or French; the workshop will be held in English only. Hotel lodging for up to 2 nights with dinners, lunch and a reception is provided. Participants are kindly requested to make their own travel arrangements. 

Outcomes are expected to include the publication of selected papers, including in the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, the Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, the Transnational Legal Theory Journal, or the Canadian Yearbook of International Law (subject to acceptance). 

Important dates: 

Application deadline for workshop: 6 May 2016

Notification of acceptance: 20 May 2016

Draft papers: 27 July 2016

Workshop date: 8 August 2016 

Publication submissions: to be confirmed with specific journal 

Organizers: Janelle M. Diller, Paul Martin Sr. Professor of International Affairs and Law, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law www.uwindsor.ca/law/748/janelle-diller in coordination with the Transnational Law and Justice Network, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor www.uwindsor.ca/law/tlj/