Call for papers: The terminology of legal sciences in African languages and comparative perspectives

2026-01-22

Theme: Access to law in African languages: terminology and comparative perspectives

 

African languages play a central role in the development of the continent and access to local knowledge. Yet in many African countries, law as practiced by state institutions is expressed primarily in languages inherited from colonization, marginalizing African languages and creating a gap between legal texts and citizens. Language thus becomes a barrier to equitable access to law.

In this context, comparative law and comparison constitute essential instruments for analyzing and understanding juridico-linguistic dynamics and their implications for access to justice and the valorization of local knowledge.

This call aims to explore issues related to the creation, standardization, and dissemination of legal terminology in African languages and encourages contributions that place different legal systems and their languages of expression and practice in perspective.

Proposed thematic areas:

  • Translation and adaptation of legal documents into African languages, including intercultural comparisons
  • Equivalence of legal concepts and comparative analyses between systems and languages
  • Customary legal systems and endogenous terminology, with comparison to modern law
  • Language policies and legal planning in different countries or regions

This call is addressed to researchers, jurists, linguists, and translators.

 

Submission deadline: 31 March 2026

For further details, please consult the full call for papers.

 

Download the full call for version (English)

Download the full call for version (French)