The University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
is opening a
CALL FOR PAPERS
for the international conference
(Un)fit to rule: themes of acceptance and rejection of rulers throughout history
to be held on October 26th-28th, 2022
In 2022, it will be 700 years since King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski ascended the Serbian throne in 1322. It was not a simple succession, though: he had unsuccessfully rebelled against his father, King Stefan Uroš II Milutin in 1314, and, as punishment, he was blinded and exiled. He was thus believed no longer to be a candidate for the throne, but his vision was ‘miraculously’ restored and he managed to conquer the throne after his father’s death. This anniversary presents an occasion for a comparative overview of requirements for a ruler – or, from a different angle, circumstances that made a person unfit to take the throne or govern a country.
Physical and mental disabilities, gender, religion and nationality, even such intangible issues as personal charisma and honour, could be and have been disqualifying circumstances in various countries and periods, that either prevented a person from ascending a throne or, upon emerging during one’s rule, led to their overthrow. Yet what was a legally binding disqualification in one legal system could be a mere practical inconvenience in another, and no serious obstacle at all in a third. Numerous examples can be found, and it is their analysis and comparison that is the aim of this conference. For more information, please consult the full Call for Papers at the conference webpage (http://wp2008.ius.bg.ac.rs/un-fit-to-rule/call-for-papers/) and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/un.fit.to.rule.2022/.
We believe a comparative and multidisciplinary approach to these questions could yield the best results, and therefore we invite scholars from all fields of sciences and humanities (including, but not limited to, legal history, political science, theology, art history, medical history etc.) to submit their abstracts. We welcome papers dealing with all countries and historical periods, from Antiquity to the Modern Age, regardless of whether they focus on an individual legal system or adopt a comparative approach, whether they are of a broader scope or case-studies, etc.
The conference language is English. Applications containing an abstract of 200 to 500 words and a short CV should be sent to un-fit.to.rule@ius.bg.ac.rs by the 31st of January 2022. Participants will be notified if their applications have been accepted by the end of January at the latest.
If possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference will be held live at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law; if not, it will be converted to an online format. Even if the conference is held live, remote participation via video link will be possible.
An e-book of abstracts will be published before the conference. An edited volume of peer-reviewed conference proceedings will be published after the conference.