Call for Papers: Cambridge International Law Journal Volume 12(2), May 12, 2023

The Editorial Board of the Cambridge International Law Journal is pleased to invite submissions for Volume 12(2) to be published in December 2023 on the theme ‘Language in International Law’.

The Board welcomes articles (6,000–12,000 words, inclusive of footnotes) and case notes that engage with current themes in international law, as well as book reviews on recently published works.

This issue will build upon the 12th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference (24–25 April 2023), but is open to submissions from all authors including those who are not presenting or participating in the Conference.

Language is essential to international law. International law terms and phrases are regularly invoked to specific ends, extending their operation beyond legal rules to a form of discourse: states initiate military operations using the justifications of ‘genocide’ prevention, ‘humanitarian’ aid, and the ‘responsibility to protect’; claim ‘discrimination’ in trade; and operationalise the language of ‘sovereignty’ to avoid obligations. While the multilingual translation and interpretation of legal texts is essential to the practice of law, exact semantic transposition of concepts is often unattainable, and undermines both participation in, and the efficacy of, international law. Language itself is pertinent to the expression of identity and can render groups vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion from the public sphere. Big data has become a new language in international law, heavily relied on in international efforts to prevent crime, and as a basis for regulation. Altogether, language remains the often unacknowledged core of international law, relevant not only to treaty interpretation but to the understanding of the discipline as a whole. We invite contributions on any aspect of this broad theme.

All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review. The Journal’s Editorial Board reviews all pieces, and select articles are sent to the Academic Review Board, which consists of distinguished international law scholars and practitioners. Submissions can be made at any time. Articles submitted by 12 May 2023 will be considered for Volume 12 Issue 2.

For full submission instructions, please visit www.elgaronline.com/cilj.

Submissions may be made for Volume 12(2) here.

Alternatively, blog articles, assessed on a rolling basis, may be submitted here.

Further information can be obtained from the Editors-in-Chief at [email protected].

 Rebecca Brown and Alina Papanastasiou
Editors-in-Chief for Cambridge International Law Journal (Volume 12)