Conference on Comparative Regional Law
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Conference: Comparative Regional Law
St Hugh's College & Somerville College, Oxford, 10th September 2026
Introduction
Convened by Iyiola Solanke and Ngoc Son Bui, this conference aims to bring together leading scholars jointly to compare the laws of various regional entities such as the EU, ASEAN, the African Union, MERCOSUR, CARICOM and others. There is very little global comparison of regional law in the existing scholarship. This conference provides a platform for collaboration to develop this exciting area of scholarship. Themes for regional comparison span private and public law to include non-discrimination, human rights, contract law, trade, employment, environment, finance and banking, the judiciary and legal consequences of colonialism. Such a broad area of study would be of interest and relevance both to legal academics across private/public and common/civil law as well as practitioners around the globe active in regional and transnational law.
This conference build upon research into comparative integration studies and develop it into comparative regional law. It would lead to multiple events over a series of years focusing on different themes and volumes with Hart Publishing corresponding to each theme. This is a launch conference as part of the celebrations in association with the 30th year of the Institute for European and Comparative Law (IECL) and publish a first edited volume in 2028 as part of the IECL series with Hart Publishing.
The theme of this launch conference is Theoretical Foundations of Comparative Regional Law. With this, speakers will explore the key concepts underlying comparative regional law and comparative integration studies.
Programme
| Thursday Sept 10 | Venue: MGA Seminar Room, St Hugh's College Oxford |
| 9.30 am | Registration and Welcome Coffee/ Tea |
| 10-11.30 | PANEL 1: Theory and Methodology |
Iyiola Solanke and Ngoc Son Bui: Introduction to Comparative Regional Law Matthias Siems: Comparative Law as a Method of Analysing Regional Laws | |
| 11.30-11.45 | Coffee/Tea Break |
| 11.45 – 13.15 | PANEL 2: Regional Constitutionalism and Human Rights |
Ronnie Yearwood: Towards A Decolonial Method in Caribbean Constitutionalism Basak Cali: What We Do/Should Compare When We Compare Regional Human Rights Regimes Pasha L. Hsieh: Comparative Green Regionalism | |
13. 15-14.30
| Lunch at St Hugh's College |
| 14.30 - 16.00 | PANEL 3: Regional Integration |
Damian Chalmers: Law, Security and Regional Integration. Ada Ordor: Regional Integration and the Social Contract in Africa. Armin Cuyvers: Escaping EU gravity: light and lean legal constructs for sufficiently effective regional co-operation. | |
| 19.30 | Taking place at Somerville College Gerhard Dannemann: Comparative Regional Law: (Re-)Thinking Comparative Methodology? Iyiola Solanke and Ngoc Son Bui: Summing Up/ Next Steps/ Book Project. |
Speakers:
Ngoc Son Bui: Professor of Asian Laws, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
Başak Çalı: Head of Research and Professor of International Law, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
Damian Chalmers: Geoffrey Bartholomew Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore
Armin Cuyvers: Professor of European Law, Europa Institute, Leiden University
Gerhard Dannemann: Professor of English Law, British Economy and Politics and Director of the Centre for British Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin
Pasha L. Hsieh: Lee Kong Chian Professor of Law and Jean Monnet Chair, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University
Ada Ordor: Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town
Mathias Siems: Professor of Private Law and Market Regulation, European University Institute
Iyiola Solanke: Jacques Delors Professor in European Union Law, Director of the Institute for European and Comparative Law (IECL), Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
Ronnie R. F. Yearwood: Senior Lecturer, and the Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies.
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