Introduction to the subject

The topic can be approached from various angles, combining legal and extra-legal disciplines, as it can draw on historical, anthropological, geographical, and sociological approaches, among others. The relationship between the state and indigenous peoples can also be approached using a variety of methodologies: comparative law studies (ad hoc or systematic) or foreign law studies; empirical research, in positive or prospective law, theoretical or practical.

While Indigenous Peoples’ subject is increasingly addressed through legal frameworks, it continues to raise recurring legal questions across several continents and in approximately ninety countries worldwide. This global dimension makes a comparative perspective particularly stimulating. Beyond international legal instruments (most notably the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 13 September 2007) the often complex and potentially conflictual relationships between Indigenous Peoples and States are reflected unevenly in legal systems. Contributions are therefore intended to examine and analyse some of these dynamics.

Non-exhaustive list of suggested topics

• Definitional and identity-related issues

• Democracy and Indigenous Peoples (consultation, participation, representation of peoples)

• Land ownership and restitution (territorial rights); protection of indigenous cultural heritage

• Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights by the State (domestic protection mechanisms, integration into international and/or regional protection systems, compliance with international standards and judicial decisions, effectiveness of protection)

• Application of protection regimes from the perspective of rights (cultural identity, non-discrimination, education, language rights, etc.) and public policies (food, energy, health, etc.)

• Sources of law, normativity, and legal pluralism (customary law and state law)

• State responsibility and reparation for harm suffered

• Environment, natural resources, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights

• Limits and critiques of legal and state-centred approaches

Procedure

Abstracts of no more than 5.000 characters should be sent to us by 15^th february 2026.

The abstracts must be written in either English or French and sent to Prof. Emilie Barbin: emilie.barbin@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

All abstracts will be anonymized and submitted to a selection process.

Articles selected must be submitted to the Editorial Board by July 1^st, 2026, and will undergo double-blind peer review.

For articles written in French, the editorial standards to be followed are available here and articles written in English must follow OSCOLA standards.

Publication of the articles is scheduled for December 2026.