I am delighted to pass along this Call for Papers for the 26th International Roundtable for the Semiotics of Law (IRSL), the theme of which is "Textiles of Truth: Law, Language, and the Semiotics of Environmental Style." The Roundtable will be held at Lille University, Faculty of Law – 6–10 July 2026. This from the CfP:
In an age where environmental degradation, climate change, and hyper-consumerism
converge with fast-paced global trade and digital communication, the language of law must
evolve to meet new ethical, ecological, and cultural challenges. From courtroom rulings to
eco-labels, from fast fashion to forest protection, how we speak, legislate, and translate ideas
of sustainability and responsibility is not neutral—it is deeply semiotic, symbolic, and
political.
This roundtable invites critical and creative engagements with the legal, linguistic, and visual
forms of communication that shape contemporary discourses around environmental justice
and consumer responsibility. We are particularly interested in how climate change reshapes
the legal imagination, calling for the protection of animals, the preservation of biodiversity,
and a rethinking of legal obligations in the face of ecological collapse.
The fashion and textile industries serve as prime sites for exploring these dynamics. Whether
critiquing the impact of fast fashion, tracing the rise of “upfashion,” or investigating
upcycling as a semiotic and legal gesture of resistance, contributors are encouraged to unpack
how style, law, and communication are entangled in the ethics of our material world.
Submission & Publication Opportunities Accepted contributions will be considered for: (1) a Special Issue of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law (Springer); (2) a volume in the Law and Visual Jurisprudence book series (Springer). Those interested are asked to submit a 300-word abstract (including title, author(s), affiliation(s), and 5 keywords) to: Anne Wagner – valwagnerfrATYahoo.com and Aurélien Fortunato - aurelien.fortunatoATuniv-lille.fr
More information follows below.
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📢 Call for Papers
26th International Roundtable for the Semiotics of Law (IRSL)
🧵 Theme: “Textiles of Truth: Law, Language, and the Semiotics of Environmental Style”
📍 Lille University, Faculty of Law – 🗓 6–10 July 2026
In an age where environmental degradation, climate change, and hyper-consumerism
converge with fast-paced global trade and digital communication, the language of law must
evolve to meet new ethical, ecological, and cultural challenges. From courtroom rulings to
eco-labels, from fast fashion to forest protection, how we speak, legislate, and translate ideas
of sustainability and responsibility is not neutral—it is deeply semiotic, symbolic, and
political.
This roundtable invites critical and creative engagements with the legal, linguistic, and visual
forms of communication that shape contemporary discourses around environmental justice
and consumer responsibility. We are particularly interested in how climate change reshapes
the legal imagination, calling for the protection of animals, the preservation of biodiversity,
and a rethinking of legal obligations in the face of ecological collapse.
The fashion and textile industries serve as prime sites for exploring these dynamics. Whether
critiquing the impact of fast fashion, tracing the rise of “upfashion,” or investigating
upcycling as a semiotic and legal gesture of resistance, contributors are encouraged to unpack
how style, law, and communication are entangled in the ethics of our material world.
🧩 Core Threads & Suggested Topics
Submissions should align with one or more of the following themes. We particularly welcome
analyses grounded in legal interpretation, jurisprudence, and comparative legal contexts:
• The linguistic turn in environmental and consumer law: metaphor, narrative, and
legal meaning-making
• Semiotics of sustainability and style: fast fashion, “upfashion,” branding, and
regulatory symbolism
• Legal translation and transfer: multilingual challenges in global consumer and
environmental governance
• Eco-labels, certification, and compliance: between legal language and marketing
discourse
• The visual performance of legal norms: activism, advertising, and public persuasion
• From legalese to plain language: improving access to environmental and animal
rights
• Courtroom discourse and jurisprudence in climate, biodiversity, and consumer
law
• Comparative legal storytelling: how different legal cultures narrate sustainability
and responsibility
• Legal responses to upcycling and circular economy: redefining value, reuse, and
innovation
• The legal recognition of animals: sentience, welfare, and rights in ecological legal
frameworks
• The semiotic dimension of legal interpretation: how visual and verbal signs shape
legal meaning
• Textiles of Truth: Aesthetic Codes, Legal Attire, and Iconographies of Justice:
This theme invites exploration of how textiles and clothing shape not only legal
identity but also the symbolic performance of justice. From the veiled or blindfolded
figure of Lady Justice to the varying aesthetics of legal dress across cultures—robes,
sashes, wigs, or indigenous regalia—textiles express both authority and ideology. How
do such visual codes construct or challenge narratives of impartiality, colonial legacy,
or environmental responsibility? What does it mean to weave sustainability into the
garments of the law, both literally and metaphorically?
🌍 Interdisciplinary Invitations
We welcome proposals from scholars, practitioners, and creators working in:
• Legal semiotics, law and language, and legal translation
• Environmental law, fashion law, and consumer protection
• Semiotics, discourse analysis, and communication studies
• Comparative law, legal anthropology, and global legal theory
• Design, material culture, visual studies, and sustainability studies
• Political ecology, animal law, and post humanist theory
We especially encourage interdisciplinary contributions that rethink the role of law in shaping
ethical consumption, environmental justice, and interspecies futures.
✍ Submission & Publication Opportunities
Accepted contributions will be considered for:
• A Special Issue of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law (Springer)
• A volume in the Law and Visual Jurisprudence book series (Springer)
📧 Please submit a 300-word abstract (including title, author(s), affiliation(s), and 5
keywords) to:
Anne Wagner – valwagnerfr@yahoo.com
Aurélien Fortunato – aurelien.fortunato@univ-lille.fr
🗓 Deadline: 15 March 2026
ℹ Conference Details
📍 Lille University, Faculty of Law
🗓 6–10 July 2026
👥 In-person only
🗣 Format: Dialogic roundtable with thematically focused panels and moderated discussions
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