Presentation

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-Institut, and the Department of Public Law and Governance at Tilburg University.

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.

Through the conference ‘Grotian law and modernity at the dawn of a new age’, the organizers want to stimulate debate on the constitutional impact of current changes for the global legal order through the lens of a long-term historical analysis. The speakers in the conference are invited to reach back to Grotius’ thought and work as a starting point for discussing the foundations of the modern legal order of the past four centuries and the changes this is currently undergoing. They are asked to use this long-term historical framework to make sense of current upheavals and look for direction towards the future of law.

 

Program

Day 1 - 19 June

08:45 - 09:15 Registration

09:15 - 09:30 Opening and Welcome - Room 2.01

09:30 - 10:30 Keynote Address (I) followed by Q&A - Room 2.01 Part I 'Lineages of Grotian thought' Keynote: Martine van Ittersum

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break

 

11:00 - 12:30 Thematic Panels (I)

 

Part I 'Lineages of Grotian thought'

Room 3.16

Chair: Anne Peters

Panelists:

Latius patere caritatis quam iuris regulas (DIBP III.13.4.1) Is de iure belli ac pacis a Law Book? 
Alain Wijffels

Christianity and Citizenship? Grotius and the Debate over Political Engagement in Seventeenth-Century Protestantism 
Sarah Mortimer

Engaging with Grotius' De Jure Belli ac Pacis in the 'Long Seventeenth Century': The Case of Italy 
Marco Barducci

The Carnegie Translation of Grotius: Influencing Public Opinion 
William E. Butler

 

Part II 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: general theory of law and governance'

Room 2.01

Chair: Inge van Hulle

Panelists:

Grotius and Hobbes: The Necessities of Human Nature 
Mónica García-Salmones and Pim Oosterhuis

Grotius on Natural Slavery 
Gustaaf van Nifterik

Killing Thieves and Muggers: Grotius on Just War and Self-Defence 
Johan Olsthoorn

Hugo Grotius, Reason of State and the Religious Wars 
Jan Waszink

 

Part III 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: international law and governance'

Room 3.60

Chair: Jens Iverson

Panelists:

Public Authority, Jus Puniendi and the Common Good: Exploring International Criminal Law from a Grotian Perspective 
Letizia Lo Giacco

The coastal seas in international law: contextualising Grotius' De iure belli ac pacis 
Stefano Cattelan and Louis Sicking

With Friends Like These: Grotian 'Unequal Leagues' in Contemporary International Law and Governance 
Daniel R. Quiroga-Villamarin

Adventures in Governance: How Grotius Societies Shape International Law 
Matthew Cleary

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch

 

14:00 - 15:00 Keynote Address (III) followed by Q&A - Room 2.01

Part III 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: international law and governance'

Keynote: Hilary Charlesworth

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break

 

15:30 - 17:15 Academic Session - Room 2.01

Keynote Speech: Philippe Sands

19:00 Speakers' Conference Dinner

 

Day 2 - 20 June

09:00 - 09:30 Registration

09:30 - 10:30 Keynote address (II) followed by Q&A - Room 2.01

Part II 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: general theory of law and governance' Imperfect Rights

Keynote: Daniel Lee

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break

 

11:00 - 12:30 Thematic Panels (II)

Part I 'Lineages of Grotian thought'

Room 2.02

Chair: Francesca Iurlaro

Panelists:

Ius Naturale, Just War of Punishment, and Grotius' Defence of Dutch Colonial Imperialism 
Jiangmei Liu

War Laws and Florentine State Liberty: Archbishop Francesco Frosini's Legal Discourse in the Bellum Diplomaticum of the Early Eighteenth Century between the Tuscan Grand Duchy and the Roman Holy Empire 
Emanuele Salerno

Visible and Invisible? Grotius in Early Enlightenment French Diplomacy (1720-1762) 
Frederik Dhondt

Grotius, Resistance and the Old Church in De iure belli ac pacis 
Henk Nellen

 

Part II 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: general theory of law and governance'

Room 3.60

Chair: Janne Nijman

Panelists:

Hugo Grotius: How to be (and not to be) a Universalist 
Anthony Lang

Competing Colonial Companies: Anglo-Dutch Rivalry and Local Rulers in Asia Through Grotius' Concepts of Sovereignty in the Eighteenth Century 
Andriws Gonzalez Barrera and Femke Gordijn

Pre-Empting Fugitivity and Revolt: Rereading the Grotian Imaginary Through the Black Radical Tradition and Indigenous Studies 
Mikki Stelder

 

Part III 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: international law and governance'

Room 2.01

Chair: Letizia Lo Giacco

Panelists:

Grotius in Exile: Religious Division in International Law between Tolerance and Solidarity: A Challenge for our Time? 
Ruti Teitel

"Grotian quest" for legal imagination and moderation 
Maria Varaki

The Legacy of the Grotian Conception of Jus Post Bellum and its Impact on the Right of Persons with Disabilities to Restitution 
Bryce Hollander and Janet Lord

The Deep Roots of Jus Post Bellum and Transitional Justice: The Grotian Tradition's Role in the Developing the Law and Ethics Regarding the Transition from Armed Conflict to a Just and Sustainable Peace 
Jens Iverson

 

14:00 - 15:30 Thematic Panels (III)

 

Part I 'Lineages of Grotian thought'

Room 2.02

Chair: Hans Blom

Panelists:

Reinterpreting Justice in Grotius' Legal Philosophy: Bridging Ancient Ideals with Modern Realities 
Elena Jie Chih

'Dovendosi chiuder gli occhi ad alcuni diffettucci': The Roman Index and De jure belli ac pacis 
Alberto Clerici

Hugo Grotius and Alberico Gentili: Visions from the Nineteenth-Century Italian International Law Perspective 
Luigi Lacchè

A Feminist Conversation with Grotius: What's Bred in the Bone? 
Susan Harris Rimmer

 

Part II 'Modernity and the dawn of a new age: general theory of law and governance'

Room 3.60

Chair: Jacob Giltaij

Panelists:

The Narrow Definition of Convention Refugees: Grotius to the Rescue 
Andreas Follesdal

Finding Keepers? Grotius and the Acquisition of Property from the Global Commons 
Ville Karl

Unjust Enemy or Enemy of All Humanity? Immanuel Kant's Critique of Grotius and Carl Schmitt's Rejoinder 
Joris van de Riet

Grotius and the Sense of the Collective: Between Positive and Negative Rights 
Romain Cuttat

16:00 - 17:00 Closing Remarks - Room 2.01

17:00 - 18:00 Farewell Drink Reception

 

 

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Organisation : Institute of Public Law, Universiteit Leiden, and Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies.