How to Put Law into Context?

We are glad to announce that we will host Professor Ingo Venzke, from the University of Amsterdam, for a series of legal theory seminars in March 2025 (5th, 12th, 20th, 25th).

Prof. Venzke seminars will address the long-lasting question of how to put law into context and the theoretical problems that arise when doing so. These matters touch upon fundamental questions of legal practice, research, thinking and writing. For example, when it comes to the practice of interpretation: how can one explain and discuss the outcome of a judicial decision?

Needs and problems of contextualization also affect questions of making law through politico-legislative processes (included treaty-making, in diverse areas of the supranational sectoral regimes, like those concerning the environment, artificial intelligence, data protection, migration, etc.). At first sight, such lawmaking may seem like an eminent political matter, not influenced by law. But on second thought, such a “political” space is also shaped by legal structures, notably by conceptions of statehood and core legal principles. These questions matter not only for the understanding of legal developments but also for any project that wants to somehow improve the law, or to solve societal problems through law.