10th International Osnabrück Summer Institute on the Cultural Study of the Law, July 18-26, 2026
Deadline: April 1, 2026
http://www.osi.uni-osnabrueck.de/
The tenth International Osnabrueck Summer Institute on the Cultural Study of the Law will be held from July 18 to 26, 2026 at Osnabrueck University, Germany. It aims to encourage and further promote the interdisciplinary study and research of the interrelations between law and culture, based on the idea that the extended cultural study of the law will foster profitable scholarly exchange and dialogue between legal studies and the humanities.
The Institute will offer a combination of thematic workshop sessions, small group seminars and a final symposium for 20 international participants (doctoral, post-doctoral and advanced M.A. – see below for eligibility). The introductory workshop will address the range and potential of interdisciplinary studies and approaches in the field of law and the humanities. The remaining thematic sessions and small group seminars will focus on key issues and debates in current cultural legal studies, for example:
* The reconfiguration of legal personhood and citizenship in response to global migration, statelessness, and refugeehood, and the increasing denial of full rights to non-citizens.
* The shifting semantics of democracy and legality in political and social discourse, most obviously about migration and diversity, particularly where rights are claimed, but also where they are suspended or selectively applied.
* Cultural representations and mediations of rights and belonging, including visual arts, and digital media that depict the struggles of mobile or excluded subjects, but also insist on and reaffirm their agencies and capabilities.
* Critical and creative practices of reclaiming legal subjectivity – through activism, art, or narrative – that contest exclusion and imagine alternative communities / subjects of rights.
The main objective of the OSI is to encourage scholarly exchange across disciplines and the critical debate of current research projects, as well as work in progress. Participants will have the opportunity to present and discuss their own work both within the larger group and in individual sessions with members of the OSI faculty.
Confirmed faculty for the 2026 OSI include:
Jeannine DeLombard (English and History, UC Santa Barbara)
Cassandra Falke (English, Arctic U of Norway)
Leti Volpp (Law, UC Berkeley)
Marco Wan (Law, University of Hong Kong)
Arthur Rose (English, University of Exeter)
Devin Zuber (American Studies, GTU Berkeley)
Angela Naimou (English, Clemson University)
Participant Eligibility
The Summer Institute invites doctoral and postdoctoral students from various academic fields whose research interests and projects are situated at the interface between law and the humanities and who are concerned with a better understanding of the interdependence of law and culture. Doctoral candidates in the humanities, law, the arts, literature, and related social sciences are encouraged to apply, as are advanced students pursuing a J.D. or its equivalent (such as an L.L.B). Young scholars or junior faculty members who have received a Ph.D. or a corresponding degree in the last five years are also eligible.
While applications by doctoral/post-doctoral students are prioritized, the Summer Institute will also consider strong applications from advanced Master students about to conclude their studies and with a strong interest in interdisciplinary research.
There are openings for up to 20 students to participate in the Summer Institute. The Institute will be conducted entirely in English.
Application Process
Students interested in taking part in the Summer Institute should submit their applications on our website no later than April 01, 2026. Detailed and updated information about the Institute, the sessions, international faculty, admission and fees can be found at: http://www.osi.uni-osnabrueck.de/
Note: In consideration of our international participants, we will offer early acceptance decisions along with a discounted early-bird registration fee to help with advance planning. Acceptance will be on a rolling basis, starting on March 01, until all available slots are filled.
Please direct all inquiries and questions to the OSI coordinator at lawandculture@uos.de
Thanks and kind regards,
Peter Schneck
Director OSI
Chair of American Studies
—
OSI Team
International Osnabrück Summer Institute
c/o Institute for English and American Studies (IfAA)
Universität Osnabrück
Neuer Graben 40
D-49074 Osnabrück / Germany
e-mail: lawandculture@uos.de
http://www.osi.uni-osnabrueck.de