A New Center for Global Research on Normativity
The University of São Paulo (USP) and the Max Planck Society will establish the Max Planck-USP Law Center—Normativity Regimes for Societies in Transformation, with offices in São Paulo and at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt. Scheduled to begin operations in January 2027, the new Center will be dedicated to the study of transformations in law and other forms of normativity from a global perspective, bringing together researchers from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The initiative will focus on research, and co-theorization across different legal traditions. In addition to producing dissertations, theses, publications, and a digital platform, the Center will promote the training of master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral students through seminars, special courses, and international schools. The Center is based on the premise that the legal academia must address the historical and persistent asymmetries in knowledge production between the Global North and the Global South and more systematically incorporate experiences and theoretical traditions developed in the Global South. The Center will be directed by Samuel Barbosa of the USP Law School and Thomas Duve of the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. The initial period of operation will be from 2027 to 2031, with a possible extension until 2036.