Conference Announcement: King’s Transnational Law Summit 2018 (KTLS18)

I am glad to pass along this announcement of the King’s Transnational Law Summit 2018 (KTLS18),

The King’s Transnational Law Summit 2018 takes place at a crucial moment of deepening domestic, regional and global political change. Inspired by the political philosopher Hannah Arendt’s book 'The Human Condition', which turns 60 next year, the conference will evolve around the theme of The New Human Condition: Creating Justice for Our Future.

This inaugural Summit will place justice at the centre of a wider inter-disciplinary conversation about democratic politics, inequality, health and the environment in a volatile world. It is our hope to develop KTLS18 into a sustainable platform for an ongoing collaboration on some of the most important challenges we face today.

My thanks to the remarkable Peer Zumbansen for  this. It is the vision of the KTLS18 "to facilitate in-depth conversations through keynotes, panel and roundtable discussions as well as specialised workshops. The Summit will amplify existing conversations and initiate new debates on the themes of environmental justice, economy, health, migration, equality and action. Choose your area of interest and explore related conference sessions." 

The Concept Paper and more information follows.

The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London will host the King’s Transnational Law Summit in London, UK between 10-13 April 2018. The event is centred around the theme of Creating Justice for Our Future and is a critical reflection on the place of lawyers and of law in a world in flux.This unique event will bring together new and leading voices from around the world to inquire and engage with the changing conditions for legal practice and legal training today.

It is our hope to develop the King’s Transnational Law Summit 2018 (KTLS18) into a sustainable conference platform, which could be convened every other year (funding provided) and thus offer an important meeting point for an ongoing collaboration of some of the most important challenges the present and future generations are facing.

RATIONALE

KTLS18 is taking place at a crucial moment of continuing and deepening political change, domestically, regionally, and globally. ‘Outside-the-box’ thinking and interdisciplinary engagement are required to effectively and collectively address the deep crisis of democratic politics, the ubiquitous rise of populism and authoritarianism out of the ruins of an undigested and underestimated neo-liberalism, and the global challenges of climate change, economic, political, gender and racial inequality, migration and displacement, security and the ever-faster emergence of new data-driven governance.

THE NEW HUMAN CONDITION

The King’s Transnational Law Summit 2018 will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the political philosopher Hannah Arendt’s ground-breaking work, The Human Condition (1958). Arendt’s landmark analysis of the condition of, and potential for, human development through her concepts of Labour, Work and Action, offers a host of inspirations in today’s world characterised by extreme levels of socio-economic inequality, ecological degradation and a deep crisis of democratic,
representative politics.

In the spirit of Arendt’s reflections on political responsibility in a diverse and pluralistic world and recognising the values of inclusive democratic governance today, the conference will place a special emphasis on creating real dialogue, fostering new understanding, critical reflections and the development of concrete perspectives on advocacy and collaboration across political, cultural and jurisdictional divides and boundaries.

WHY LAW?

Lawyers are crucial power-brokers, agents of change and can act to emancipate, to empower and to amplify concerns otherwise suppressed or ignored. And, as such, at every stage of their training and career, they are called upon to assume a position of leadership and responsibility, both professional
and personal.

Focusing on the value and the possibilities of individual and collective human agency in politically and socio-economically divided times, the conference will mark a moment of actively reflecting on our responsibility in today’s world.

FORMAT

Held over three and a half days, KTLS18 will feature a diverse, engaging and challenging agenda, being comprised of panels and roundtables, keynote presentations, expert meetings, specialised group discussions as well as networking and collaboration opportunities among scholars, practitioners, activists and artists. It will connect ‘thinkers and doers’ around the globe by providing a unique and inclusive platform for interaction, in London and beyond via livestream and through social media.

PARTICIPANTS

The event will attract legal scholars and practitioners, policy makers, representatives of national and international organisations, public and private, city councils and unions, grass-root associations, fiction writers and poets, activists and members of the wider civil society. We expect approximately
400 participants.


THE NEW HUMAN CONDITION SITES OF ENGAGEMENT AND AGENCY (SEAs)

We understand justice to be the most precious state of being, a precarious and fragile framework and concept, that can only come to life through an open-minded and equal involvement of all.

In order to facilitate long term research and lasting collaboration networks, KTLS18 will host experts from a range of disciplines and professions – Sites of Engagement & Agency (SEAs). Examples of SEAs include States & Regions, International Organisations, NGOs, Cities, Courts, Social Movements, Universities and Colleges, Schools and Journalists.

PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE

Tuesday 10 April 2018
The New Human Condition:Creating Justice for Our Future
 

Wednesday 11 April 2018
Economic Justice, The Environment, Fiction and Poetry on ‘Displacement and Migration’

Thursday 12 April 2018
The Human Life, Health, Technology, Inequality, Migration, Film Awards
 

Friday 13 April 2018
A Celebration of Sites of Engagement & Agency (SEAs); The London Declaration of Transnational Justice

OUTCOMES

The event aims to facilitate a truly diverse, border-crossing, and horizon-expanding conversation between theory and practice with a view to creating long-term collaborations. It will feature new and leading voices from around the world to articulate and implement a better future for us all.

The London Declaration of Transnational Justice Through a focus on the theme of Creating Justice for Our Future, we intend to formulate a response to the need for a new phase of critical and forward-looking engagement with a changing world. The conference will conclude with the London Declaration of Transnational Justice on 13 April 2018.

THE ORGANISERS

The Dickson Poon School of Law

The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised globally as one of the best law schools in the world. The School was established in 1831, and has played an integral role in the life of King’s since the university was formed almost 200 years ago.

The School was renamed after the £20m donation from Sir Dickson Poon CBE FKC, the Hong Kong based British philanthropist. Sir Dickson Poon’s £20m donation to the Law School – the largest in the university’s history and believed to be the biggest ever to a British or European law School – is part of a £40m transformation project for the School which aims to further its reputation as one of the top law schools in the world and setting new standards in legal education and research.

King’s College London

King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2016/17 QS World University Rankings) and among the oldest in England. King’s has more than 29,600 students (of whom nearly 11,700 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,000 staff.

King’s has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), eighty-four per cent of research at King’s was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*).
 

Since our foundation, King’s students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King’s will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. Visit www.kcl.ac.uk to find out more about Vision 2029, King’s strategic vision for the next 12 years to 2029, which will be the 200th anniversary of the founding of the university.

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REGISTRATION

Registration for the Summit is now open


We are looking forward to hosting you at the Summit, whether you will be joining us for the whole three days or a shorter period. For ticket options, see below.

The £50 conference ticket grants you access to the whole programme, including all evening talks and activities.

A one-day conference ticket costs £20 and includes access to the welcome keynote and drinks reception on Tuesday 10 April 2018. Attendance on Tuesday must be confirmed during the registration process.

If you are a student, you are eligible for 50% discount of all tickets, provided you can present a valid student ID card on arrival.

All tickets are inclusive of VAT, non-refundable and non-transferable. For more information on cancellations, please see FAQs