International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL-AIDC) Junior Scholars Forum

The inaugural International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL-AIDC) Junior Scholars Forum took place from 30 June to 6 July 2021.

Hosted virtually in collaboration with the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law’s Centre for Asian Legal Studies and Melbourne Law School’s Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, this year’s Forum featured 26 promising Junior Scholars and 21 Commentators and Guest Speakers.

The Forum aimed to provide junior constitutional law scholars with a platform (a) to develop their scholarship and interest in constitutional law, (b) to connect with other junior scholars from around the world, in particular bridging the gap between scholars located in the ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’, and (c) to receive feedback on their research and writing from distinguished scholars in the field.

The Forum commenced with an Opening Keynote Panel on “Key Methodological Challenges and Substantive Trends in Comparative Constitutional Law”. Featuring prominent speakers, Raul Cano Pangalangan (Judge of the International Criminal Court), Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University), Cheryl Saunders (University of Melbourne) and Kevin Tan (National University of Singapore), the Panel was moderated by IACL President, Adrienne Stone.

8 Panels discussed 26 selected papers with distinguished scholars of constitutional law serving as Commentators over 5 days via Zoom. Sharing on their collective experiences with Junior Scholars at exclusive “Coffee Breaks”, guest speakers also offered insights and advice on key areas of professional development such as academic blogging, book/journal publishing and the benefits of leading academic networks such as the IACL.

The Forum concluded with a Closing Keynote on “Academic Freedom and Democracy: Why Universities need Democracy and Democracies need Universities” by IACL President, Adrienne Stone.

The Centre for Asian Legal Studies is proud to have co-organised the inaugural IACL-AIDC Junior Scholars Forum with Melbourne Law School.

For more information on the Junior Scholars Forum: https://bit.ly/3qKMPVT