Possible topics for discussion are: 3rd Call for Papers: 15th Melbourne Doctoral Forum on Legal Theory. The 15th Melbourne Doctoral Forum on Legal Theory (DFLT-15) will take place on 24-25 November 2022. DFLT-15 is an annual interdisciplinary workshop facilitated by PhD students. The forum brings together PhD students and young researchers from various disciplines to reflect critically, methodologically and theoretically on law and legal theory. The forum aims to create a warm and safe space for graduate students to share their research. The theme of this year`s forum is law, text and contrapuntal reading. Abstracts of 300 words as well as biographies of a maximum of 100 words must be submitted via this form by September 1, 2022. Confirmation emails will be sent to selected participants by early September. Confirmed participants must submit their work (between 3000 and 5000 words) by October 28, 2022.

Documents may be in progress. For more information, visit the forum website and MLS events page. Facts and governance, including the place and challenge of objectivity, publicity and transparency in contemporary forms of legal governance and law We invite participants from all disciplines to explore what a fundamental rights theory could provide for critical and political engagement with the law. This year, the Forum will explore how the challenge of “anchoring” the law could provide critical and political engagement with the law and accountability to the law. This is a different task from legitimising or justifying a new legal basis, basis or basis. The deconstructive jurisprudence has set out the constituted power inherent in any legal ground invoked or disavowed. What are the challenges of “strong” jurisprudence? How can one constitute oneself reflexively by the demands of the contingency or its context? Some developments in Australian Aboriginal jurisprudence, for example, speak of a form of law that must be contextualized, not decreed: law is not so much a force that constrains, but rather something that must be updated, rebalanced and shaped in the earth. Facts and representation, including the role of media, art and image in legal law and analysis The Forum has limited resources to cover the costs associated with its participation. For participants travelling from outside Melbourne, the Forum can help some with travel and accommodation costs if required. Follow @doctoral_forum on Twitter or visit for updates. Queer theory, ontology and selectivity of legal facts A contrapuntal reading of laws and texts aims to make visible the positionality of authors, but also of omitted actors and unpublished narratives.

This goes beyond reading what is explicit in the text. We borrow the idea of contrapuntal reading from Edward Said, who sees it as an invitation to a “different kind of reading and interpretation” that includes episodes that are “forcibly excluded”, “neglected” or “minimized” and overcomes the distance between “dominant discourse” and such episodes. A contrapuntal reading offers a window into the world that laws might ignore, forget, or encounter with indifference. The contrapuntal reading can also pay attention to the “hidden transcription” that represents subversive speech. With this in mind, we invite DFLT-15 participants to share their readings of laws and texts that are part of their research. We understand the topic of the forum as a whole. We welcome contributions from various disciplines and fields to explore their engagement with the law. The idea of DFLT-15 is to bring together PhD students and young scientists and build a community of peers. We anticipate that the forum will include a series of presentations and roundtables in a supportive and collegial environment.