Call for submissions
The Editorial Board invites original literary and creative submissions for our 2026 issue, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Law School. This milestone year calls for a profound reflection on the nature of law, power, and justice.
We seek contributions that embody Critical Legal Thinking—an approach that moves beyond the mere description of legal rules to interrogate the underlying assumptions, power dynamics, and social implications of the law.
As we look back on six decades of legal education and look forward to the future, we encourage authors to challenge established legal orthodoxies. We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives from fields such as sociology, anthropology, history, gender studies, and political science to help bridge the gap between abstract legal theory and lived experience.
Suggested Sub-themes for the Issue:
Political Power and Legal Structures
- Law as Politics: Analyzing the inherent political nature of legal decision-making and the role of law in maintaining or challenging state power.
- Global Governance and Hegemony: Critical examinations of international legal orders, TWAIL (Third World Approaches to International Law), and post-colonial perspectives on sovereignty and intervention.
- The Law of Crisis: How states of emergency, migration crises, and political upheavals reshape legal norms and democratic accountability.
The Judiciary and Judicial Systems
- Judicial Activism vs. Restraint: Critical assessments of the role of courts in social change and the perceived neutrality of the bench.
- Institutional Bias: Interrogating systemic inequalities within judicial processes, from appointment mechanisms to the impact of socio-economic status on litigation.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Shadow of the Law: How private justice systems impact public accountability and access to substantive justice.
Legal Philosophy and Critical Epistemology
- Beyond Liberal Legalism: Moving past traditional frameworks toward critical lenses such as legal realism, critical race theory, and feminist jurisprudence.
- Theory of Recognition: Exploring how legal systems define personhood and rights in a way that includes or excludes marginalized identities.
- Law and Morality: Re-evaluating the tension between positive law and ethical imperatives in a pluralistic society.
Technology, AI, and the Surveillance State
- Algorithmic Governance: Critical perspectives on "code as law" and the social biases embedded in AI-driven legal and policing tools.
- Data Sovereignty and Vulnerability: The legal protection of personal data as a human rights issue, specifically regarding children and marginalized workers.
- Innovation vs. Control: How digital laws balance corporate interests with the public good.
Economic Justice and Redistribution
- Law and Capitalism: Critical analysis of how property, contract, and corporate law facilitate or mitigate economic inequality.
- Sustainable Development and Inclusivity: The role of inclusive legal reforms in achieving long-term economic and environmental stability.
- Labor and Global Markets: Examining the legal frameworks governing the gig economy and global supply chains through a critical lens.
Intellectual Property and Knowledge Systems
- Identifying and dismantling barriers faced by underrepresented groups in accessing intellectual property systems.
- Critical approaches to protecting traditional knowledge and indigenous intellectual property rights.
Social Justice, Gender, and Identity
- Feminist legal perspectives and LGBTQ+ studies within contemporary legal systems.
- The role of intersectionality in addressing issues of access to justice.
- Comparative studies of legal frameworks that successfully integrate marginalized groups.
How to submit
Send your submission to qmlj-submissions@qmul.ac.uk. The deadline is 30 April 2026.
Read the instructions for authors carefully to ensure your submission meets our standards. For further inquiries, please contact the Editorial Board at qmlj-submissions@qmul.ac.uk.