From the department of Historical Regimes of Normativity at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

Las pasiones como saber normativo. Algunos usos de la vergüenza en la cultura barroca
¿Qué puede decir el derecho hoy sobre la historia de las pasiones? La historiografía de las últimas décadas se sirve de las herramientas del mundo psicoanalítico que domina la temática con efectos prácticos. Pero, ¿qué disciplina de saber efectuaba un uso de las pasiones con dicho semblante práctico en el pasado? La historia jurídica evidencia cómo dichas pasiones, especialmente la vergüenza, dieron forma a un universo pragmático para la cultura barroca (siglos XVI-XVII).

What is Research Data Management and Why it Matters – Love Your Data Blog Series Part 1
Research Data Management (RDM) has been part of good scientific practice for a while now. A requirement by many funding bodies, it also has become a standard in research institutions. This blog series, will show the key principles of RDM and how it benefits one`s research project. In the first post, the author breaks down what research data management is (and isn’t) and why it is something that every research projects needs.

Entering a New Phase. How to Work with the Digital Edition of the Project “The School of Salamanca”
Do you know how to work with the digital editions of the books you read?
For researchers, understanding the features of digital editions is crucial for making efficient use of their research tools.
This blog post takes you behind the scenes of “The School of Salamanca: A Digital Collection of Sources and a Dictionary of its Juridical-Political Language” project and its newly uploaded video tutorials demonstrating how researchers can utilize the website.

Risk or Trust? The Legal Management of Diversity in Singapore
In early February 2025, Singapore’s parliament passed a new law aimed at promoting social cohesion between the various ethnic groups in the city-state’s highly diverse society. The “Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill”, which targets any form of hatred and enmity between Singapore’s ethnic groups, has been criticised as a law that infringes on Singapore’s constitutional right to freedom of expression. This blog places the bill in the wider context of Singapore’s diversity management strategies. To what extent do these strategies embody diversity as a potential risk rather than trust in the peaceful coexistence of Singaporean citizens from different backgrounds?
About Us
Legal History Insights is a blog about legal history, created by the researchers, guests and affiliated researchers of the department of Historical Regimes of Normativity at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory.