3rd International Forum on Asian Laws: "Identity of Asian Laws"

Call for papers

The Oxford Programme in Asian Laws (OPAL) of the University of Oxford and the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University are pleased to announce the third International Forum on Asian Laws to be held on 30-31 July 2026, at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University. Convened by Mindy Chen-Wishart and Ngoc Son Bui, this in-person conference aims to bring together a diverse group of scholars, researchers and graduate students around the world to Bangkok, Thailand to share their work on a selected theme of Asian laws, to get respectful feedback, and to get to know each other. 

An unprompted comment from a contributor of the 2025 Forum: “I can say this is the best conference I have ever attended.”

An unprompted comment from a contributor of the 2024 Forum: “I got so much more from it than from any other conference that I have attended, and now feel much better prepared not only to pursue publication of the paper I presented, but also to navigate my next career steps. I heard comments to similar effects from many others present at the conference, including some who did not present.”

Theme:

The theme for the conference this year is Identity of Asian Laws: What is Asian about Asian laws? 

We welcome papers that explore distinct features of laws in East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia. Papers may identify and explain unique legal ideas, principles, values, doctrines, rules, procedures, and institutions in Asia. Submissions are welcomed in three streams:

• Asian identity in traditional/religious law: such as, village law, Confucian law, Buddhist law, Hindu law, and Islamic law.
• Asian identity in private law: such as, contract law, property law, and commercial law.
• Asian identity in public law: such as, constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal law.

Timeline:

• Submission of Abstract (400 words): 15 January 2026
• Notification of selection: 15 February 2026.
• Submission of Full Papers (8000-10000 words): 1 July 2026. This is a hard deadline to enable others including commentator to read before the Forum: no paper, no presentation.
• Conference Days: 30-31 July 2026. 

Travel and Accommodation:

• All attendees are responsible for the cost of their own travels and accommodations.
• We will suggest hotels in due course.  

Registration:

• Send your submission of abstract to opal@law.ox.ac.uk by 15 January 2026.