Otto Kahn-Freund (1900–1979) and the Invention of Labor Law | Conference
Conference theme
Employing the lens of the life and work of Otto Kahn-Freund (1900–1979), we investigate the invention of labor law as a distinct field of legal doctrine and scholarship. Invention and reinvention are understood here to be ongoing political and scholarly processes, involving the defense of existing institutions and the development of new ones. We consider developments across the twentieth century, from the end of the first world war to the struggle over the second postwar settlement in the 1970s and thereafter. Following Kahn-Freund, we conceive of labor law scholarship as an interdisciplinary endeavor, combining insights from political economy, sociology of law, and empirically-oriented industrial relations. As such, our investigation allows us to address two questions: How was legal scholarship on the changing conflict between capital and labor related to contemporary developments in the social sciences, and what can we learn from this today?
We invite paper proposals which address the conference theme. In particular, authors may wish to address the following:
Submissions
Scholars who are interested in presenting papers at the conference are invited to submit an abstract of up to 500 words. Please include a title, your name and affiliation, and contact information.
Abstracts should be sent to Ruth Dukes by April 30, 2024. Please copy the following text into the title of the email: Class Conflict and Institutional Change Paper Proposal. Decisions on the acceptance of paper proposals will be communicated by May 31, 2024.
Logistics and key dates
We are grateful for the financial and administrative support provided by the MPIfG. Thanks to that support, no fee will be charged for attendance at the conference, but participants may be asked to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Information about recommended hotels will be provided at a later date.
Any questions can be addressed to Ruth Dukes.