Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

We provide a forum for reflecting on law.
We explore its theory and history in a comparative and global perspective.
We address societal challenges by contributing to a deeper understanding of law.
Multidisciplinary Theory of Law
Department Marietta Auer
Historical Regimes of Normativity
Department Thomas Duve
European and Comparative Legal History
Department Stefan Vogenauer

News

CfP: The Circulation of Ideas in Labour Law Enforcement
How were labour law enforcement ideas exchanged and adapted across borders? A new Call for Papers invites scholars to explore this question at a workshop organized by our researcher Johanna Wolf, John Howe (University of Melbourne), and Rebecca Zahn (University of Strathclyde). The event will take place at the University of Strathclyde on 11-12 September 2025 and will examine the historical development of dispute resolution and compliance mechanisms in labour law. The workshop aims to shed light on how enforcement ideas — ranging from arbitration and conciliation to trade union action and labour inspectorates — were shaped by international networks in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Unmasking the impact of colonialism on gender equality in African legal history
Think colonialism only changed borders? Think again. Pioneering research reveals how British colonial rule didn't just impose foreign laws - it dismantled indigenous legal systems and marginalised women who once played central roles. Before 1890, Asante women in Ghana shaped the law and exercised authority in courts and communities alike. Through her work, Paulien Broens uncovers the overlooked power of pre-colonial Ghanaian women and reveals how colonial rule entrenched a legacy of gender inequality that continues to this day. In our interview, she talks about how colonial administrators ignored and erased female legal authority, the resilience of Asante women, and the ongoing fight for recognition in Ghana today.
Who Defines Antisemitism? Law, Politics, and the Battle Over Meaning
Who has the authority to define what constitutes antisemitism, and what are the consequences of such definitions? With this question, our director Marietta Auer engages in a contribution to the Zeitschrift Merkur. In her legal column, she analyzes the current political and legal debate surrounding the concept of antisemitism, particularly in the context of the resolution passed by the German Bundestag on November 7, 2024. Auer highlights that defining antisemitism is not merely a matter of terminology but has profound implications for public discourse, freedom of speech, and political practice.

Gender Studies Legal Research Workshop

Feb 19, 2025 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
B316

Knowledge Production, Epistemic Communities, and Epistemic Justice. A View from Global Legal History

Feb 25, 2025 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
mpilhlt, Room: Z01
Beyond Property. Ownership Regimes in the Iberian World (1500-1850)
Cover Rechtsgeschichte – Legal History 32 (2024)
Cover Studien zur Rechtstheorie – Band 001, Norberto Bobbio
Cover Global Perspectives on Legal History – Band 24, Los viajes de las ideas sobre la cuestión criminal hacia/desde Argentina
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 346, Otto Hintze
Cover SSSRN Paper 2024-08 What was Canon Law in Hispanic America and the Philippines (16th-18th Century)? An introduction to its sources, its modus operandi and its legal historical analysis
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 342, Michael Stolleis – zum Gedenken
Cover Global Perspectives on Legal History – Band 22, Seeking Capture, Resisting Seizure
Cover Max Planck Studies in Global Legal History of the Iberian Worlds - Band 4, The Production of Knowledge of Normativity in the Age of the Printing Press
Cover Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte - Band 337, Legal Pluralism and Social Change in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
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