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Grotian Law and Modernity at the Dawn of a New Age - International Conference

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the first publication of De jure belli ac pacis by Hugo Grotius in 1625, an international conference will be organized by the Grotiana Foundation, the Paul Scholten Centre for Jurisprudence at the University of Amsterdam, the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at the University of Leiden, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, and the Department of Public Law and Governance at Tilburg University.

About the Conference

​​​​​The major aim of the conference is to foster new narratives on the thought of Grotius, in general legal theory as well as in international law against a the backdrop of present-day rapid, fundamental changes that challenge the very foundations of the modernist paradigm, of which Grotius may be considered a key trailblazer. The core question of the academic conference is to what extent Grotian thought about general legal theory and international law is still relevant today, and what adaptations current foundational changes to our world make necessary. In this context, discussion of the many trajectories of reception, appropriation and reinterpretation of Grotius in different times and places, offers a valuable, additional perspective.

  • Keynote I: Lineages of Grotian Thought (Martine van Ittersum)
  • Keynote II: Modernity at the Dawn of a New Age: General theory of Law and governance (Annabel Brett)
  • Keynote III: Modernity at the Dawn of a New Age: International Law and Governance (Hilary Charlesworth)

Attendance at the conference is reserved for registered in-person participants only, with registration closing on 15 June 2025.

Register here
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