Towards a Philosophy of Legal Concepts. Hermeneutic Itineraries in Legal Theory

Call for Abstracts

Towards a Philosophy of Legal Concepts. Hermeneutic Itineraries in Legal Theory
15 October 2026
Department of Law, Economics and Sociology
University Magna Græcia of Catanzaro (Italy)
Hybrid format (on site and online)

Overview and Aims

The Conference aims to explore the philosophical meaning of legal institutions and concepts, starting from the idea that the task of the philosophy of law is to investigate the essence of legal phenomena in order to clarify the object of theoretical legal science.

The event proposes a study day devoted to examining the possibility of explaining and justifying, from a philosophical perspective, the existence and functioning of legal concepts. Contributors are invited to apply the hermeneutic method—understood as a general interpretative criterion rather than a specific philosophical stance—and to conduct an inquiry internal to legal practice, highlighting the nature of legal concepts as “places of meaning” capable of revealing the substance of legal experience.

The Conference seeks to foster an open, critical, and interdisciplinary dialogue among different theoretical approaches to the interpretation of legal phenomena, encouraging a shared reflection on the role of hermeneutics in understanding law and its institutions.

Suggested Topics

Abstracts may address, from a theoretical and philosophical perspective, themes including (but not limited to):

• the concept of the cause of contract and its interpretative approaches;

• theories of legal appearance and the relationship between fact and representation;

• the role of general clauses and the transformation of the idea of the legal “system”;

• the philosophical meaning of civil liability and risk allocation in different social models;

• bioethical legal issues (surrogacy, cloning, abortion, end-of-life decisions);

• the philosophical foundations of the concept of citizenship;

• theoretical configurations of sovereignty in light of changing power relations;

• the concept of public interest as a hermeneutic category;

• the legitimation of power and the symbolic function of the Constitution;

• the state of exception as a philosophical-legal category;

• the relationship between norm and value;

• legal language as symbolic mediation;

• the concept of legal personhood;

• the function of judgment and interpretation in legal practice.

Contributions are particularly welcome from scholars working in philosophy of law and the social sciences, including epistemological, ontological, sociological, and political-philosophical perspectives, as well as approaches related to Critical Legal Studies, Law and Humanities, Economic Analysis of Law, and philosophy of economics.

Target Participants

The Conference is addressed to:

• PhD candidates and PhD holders;

• postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers;

• scholars in law, philosophy, history, economics, business and management studies, political science, and social sciences.

Participation Guidelines

• Date: 15 October 2026

• Venue: Department of Law, Economics and Sociology, University Magna Græcia of Catanzaro (Italy)

• Format: Hybrid (on site and online)

• Fee: Free of charge (no travel or accommodation reimbursement)

• Certificate of attendance: Available upon request

Submission requirements:

• Abstract (maximum 400 words)

• Short biographical note (maximum 100 words)

• Format: .doc/.docx or .pdf

• Deadline: 17 May 2026

• Submission via email to:

  • [email protected]

  • [email protected]

Selection process:

• Notification of acceptance by 5 July 2026

• Selected authors will present a 15-minute paper

• Confirmation of participation (indicating on-site or online attendance) required by 19 July 2026

Publication Opportunity

Conference proceedings will be published in a scientific edited volume. Contributions will be selected by the Scientific Committee following a peer-review process.

Conference Language

Papers may be presented in Italian or English.