[PHILOS-L] CFA: Mid Conference – “Reimagining Justice in the 21st Century: Normativity, Politics, and Society” – University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, November 24-27, 2026.
Diana Piroli
Call For Abstracts
Reimagining Justice in the 21st Century
Normativity, Politics, and Society
University of Campinas, Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) – November 24–27, 2026
Liberal democracies are increasingly confronted with structural crises. Several mutually reinforcing dynamics - extreme levels of economic inequality, intensifying anthropogenic climate change, large-scale migration and the hardening of border regimes, digital transformations that fragment the public sphere, the emergence of new forms of populism and authoritarianism, and the collapse of the post-Second World War international order - are reshaping citizens’ normative expectations, the material and political conditions of social life, and the patterns of social recognition upon which democratic legitimacy depends. Although the crises affecting democratic societies also have contingent causes, often stemming from the failure to fully realize the values and promises of liberal democracy, it is increasingly evident that their historical, structural, and systemic dimensions cannot be adequately addressed without reimagining the paradigm of justice that took shape over the course of the twentieth century. This challenge calls for a multidisciplinary reflection capable of engaging, at once, the normative foundations of justice, the institutional conditions of democratic life, and the social conflicts through which claims to equality, freedom, recognition, and belonging are articulated.
These concerns will be at the core of the mid-term conference of the Horizon-MSCA Staff Exchanges project Justice in the XXI Century: A Perspective from Latin America – JUSTLA (Grant Agreement No. 101183054 - Coordinator University of Catania - DSPS). Bringing together seven European universities, eleven Latin American academic institutions, and approximately 150 scholars, JUSTLA seeks to foster North–South academic dialogue and to develop new lines of inquiry in political theory capable of challenging and broadening the dominant liberal paradigm of justice.
Keynote speakers:
Alvaro Bianchi – University of Campinas (Brazil)
Brandon Terry – Harvard University (US) – To be confirmed
Camilo Burian Lopes – University of the Republic (Uruguay)
Christian Schemmel – The University of Manchester (UK)
Corinna Mieth – Ruhr University Bochum (Germany)
Darrel Moellendorf – Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Germany) – To be confirmed
David F. L. Gomes – Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil)
Flavia Biroli - University of Brasilia (Brazil)
Luigi Caranti – University of Catania (Italy)
Kwesi Thomas - University of Toronto (Canada)
Maria Fernanda Novo – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
María Pía Lara – Autonomous Metropolitan University (Mexico)
Matheus Gato – University of Campinas (Brazil)
Roberto Gargarella – University Torcuato di Tella (Argentina)/ University Pompeu Fabra (Spain)
Yara Frateschi – University of Campinas (Brazil)
The Midterm Conference is the second main event of the Project JUSTLA – Justice in the XXI Century: A Perspective from Latin America (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-Staff Exchanges 101183054), and it is organized in partnership with the National Institute of Science and Technology for Studies on the United States - INCT-INEU, the Program of Political Science at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), and the projects Crossing Boundaries: Migration and the Shaping of Global Political Theory (FAPESP, Grant No. 2024/12506-0) and Embedding Justice: New Frameworks of Social and Climate Justice in Contemporary Political Theory (FAPESP Grant No. 2025/09557-5).
We invite contributions from philosophy, political theory, law, sociology, and related disciplines, organized around six thematic working groups:
1 - Democracy, Constitutionalism, Law, and the Reconfiguration of the State
2 - Inequalities, Political Economy, and Distributive Justice
3 - Recognition, Social Conflict, Protest, and Forms of Resistance
4 - Digital Politics, Populism, and Authoritarianism
5 - Climate Justice, Green Transitions, and Climate Historical Reparations
6 - Global Justice, Borders, Migration, and Historical Inequalities
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts should be 250-300 words, include up to 5 keywords, and clearly outline the argument and its relevance to the conference themes. Please include a short bio (max. 150 words) with your institutional affiliation, academic position, contact information, and the working group where, in your opinion, your paper falls. The conference will be held in person at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH), from November 24 to 27, 2026. The official language is English. There is no registration fee. This is an in-person event.
Deadline for abstract submission: July 27, 2026
Notification of acceptance: August 20, 2026
Submissions should be sent to this online form.
Queries: justla.mid...@gmail.com
Website: https://justla.eu/mid-conference-home
Organization:
Alvaro Bianchi – DPC - University of Campinas/ INEU (Brazil)
André Kaysel Velasco e Cruz – DPC - UNICAMP/INEU/OEDLA (Brazil)
Beatriz Ferraz Delbel Martinez Gori – JUSTLA/University of Campinas (Brazil)
Camila Bernardo de Moura – University of Campinas (Brazil)
Diana Piroli – JUSTLA/University of Catania (Italy)
Guilherme Cardoso de Moraes – JUSTLA/ CEBRAP/ University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Isabella Fernandes Moreira Fontaniello (University of Campinas, Brazil)
Juliana Aguilera-Lobo – University of Campinas/ NEPAC/ POLARIS (Brazil)
Luana Loureiro Cruz – University of Campinas/ PEPOL/ POLARIS (Brazil)
Lucas Petroni – JUSTLA/FGV-SP/CEBRAP (Brazil)
Luigi Caranti – JUSTLA/University of Catania (Italy)
Nathalia Christina Cordeiro – University of Campinas (Brazil)
Níkolas de Camargo Pirani – University of Campinas (Brazil)
Nunzio Alì – JUSTLA/University of Catania (Italy)/ CEPS, University of Minho (Portugal)
Raissa Wihby Ventura – JUSTLA/ DPC - University of Campinas/ INEU (Brazil)
CRIDEM - The Crisis of Liberal Democracy and the New Rise of Populism: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
UNICT 2024-2026: UPB 7D722212161
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