Legal Histories of Empire Conference: Empires in Touch

Empires are not creatures of the distant past. Many jurisdictions, such as British Overseas Territories, remain in essence formal colonies. In many other places, including Canada, Indigenous nations challenge the notion that modern states are truly 'post'-colonial. Everywhere, the legacies of empire continue to shape borders, identities, legalities, and culture. Confronting the past and appreciating its nuances and its surprising interconnections can help us to cultivate a richer sense of the possibilities, and limits, of law in empire.
 
From July 10-12, 2025, St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto will host the fourth meeting of the Legal Histories of Empire (LHE) scholarly collective. The conference, on the theme of "Empires in Touch," will bring together 158 scholars from around the world to disseminate and exchange research on the dynamic, interconnected histories of law, colonialism, and empire and on law's role in constituting, connecting, and separating empires. Participants will explore the movements of people, expertise, ideas, and institutions across colonial and imperial spaces. 
 
Legal historians of and in Canada have shaped the scholarly mission of the LHE group since its inception. By bringing the conference to Toronto, we will have the opportunity to highlight groundbreaking work on the themes of law, empire, justice, and colonialism being developed here. At a time of global upheaval, we are once again reminded of the lasting impact of empire on the configuration of national boundaries, regimes of citizenship and migration, and visions of justice. It is critical that we engage with these legacies, and the world of law they have left us.

Program

There will be a pre-conference workshop on the digitization of the papers of the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council led by Professor Charlotte Smith of the National Archives of the United Kingdom on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto (registration and schedule TBD).

The main conference's first event will be a public-facing presentation on telling stories of law and empire, "Empires in Touch: Comparing Notes," on Thursday evening. Regular panels will begin on Friday, July 11 in the morning. We are delighted to share that Professor Mitra Sharafi will deliver a plenary address on the theme "Studying Secrets in the Legal History of Empire" on Friday evening.

Conference activities will conclude by late afternoon on Saturday, July 12. Further details will be posted soon.

Acknowledgement

Legal Histories of Empire Conference: Empires in Touch is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.

Register

>> Register on Eventbrite to attend the conference.