2026 University of Leicester Law Postgraduate Research Conference (hybrid)

The University of Leicester Law Postgraduate Research Conference 2026 invites participants to interrogate the relationship between law, politics, and society in an era marked by deepening polarisation.

Rethinking Law, Politics, and Society in a Polarised World: Interdisciplinary Insights and Futures

Contemporary legal systems are increasingly shaped by political fragmentation, ideological contestation, and shifting public trust in institutions. Polarisation does not simply operate at the level of political discourse. It restructures how law is produced, interpreted, and experienced across different social contexts. These conditions expose underlying tensions within legal frameworks, particularly around legitimacy, authority, and the capacity of law to mediate competing interests in divided societies.

The University of Leicester Law Postgraduate Research Conference (hybrid) invites contributions that critically engage with these dynamics. Under the theme “Rethinking Law, Politics, and Society in a Polarised World: Interdisciplinary Insights and Futures,” the conference seeks to explore how legal systems respond to, reinforce, or challenge polarisation across local, national, and global contexts. It foregrounds the need for interdisciplinary approaches that draw from political theory, sociology, technology studies, and related fields to better understand the evolving role of law.

Contributors are encouraged to examine the legal, institutional, and normative implications of polarisation. This includes analysing how divisions along political, cultural, economic, or informational lines reshape governance and legal practice. Particular attention may be given to the role of digital technologies, media ecosystems, and transnational influences in intensifying or mitigating polarisation. The conference also welcomes intersectional perspectives, addressing how structural inequalities such as race, gender, class, and geography condition both the production of polarisation and its legal consequences.

By situating law within broader socio-political transformations, the conference aims to foster critical dialogue on the future trajectories of legal systems and their capacity to sustain justice, accountability, and democratic integrity in increasingly divided societies.

2026 Organising Committee:

Afolabi, Mutiat

Dookhun-Sun, Romaana

Irowa-Omoregie, Osayi

Willey, Paul

Email: [email protected]

Event Format and Attendance

The conference will be held in a hybrid format, with options to attend either in person at the University of Leicester or online via Teams.

Further details, including Teams link for individual sessions, will be provided to registered participants closer to the event date.

Data Protection

The University of Leicester is the data controller for this event. Personal data provided during registration will be used solely for the purposes of organising and delivering the conference, including managing attendance, communications, and event logistics. Processing is based on your consent, which may be withdrawn at any time. Personal data will be retained only for as long as necessary for conference administration and will be securely deleted after the event in line with University data protection requirements. For further information, please contact [email protected].

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Info: A detailed programme, including panel titles, timings, access information and presenters, will be shared closer to the event date.

Info: A detailed programme, including panel titles, timings, access information and presenters, will be shared closer to the event date.

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Info: A detailed programme, including panel titles, timings, access information and presenters, will be shared closer to the event date.

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Host or Publisher Leicester Law School PGR Conference Committee