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

“Legal history allows a critical as well as ‘different’ view of the past and present.”
An interview with the legal historian Karl Härter.

China – Norms, Ideas, Practices: Conference 2022
China and the Chinese people are diverse and took shape through a historical process; an understanding of this process and diversity would help us to achieve more distinct analyses and to avoid drawing and spreading confused pictures of China. Translators must meet the challenge of addressing certain geographical, historical and socio-economic aspects of the Chinese oeuvre that need to be embedded in its own specific (historical) context.

A brief legal history of «indigenous minority» (Brazil, 1758-1845)
The assimilation of the indigenous to minors represented a doctrinal deviation from the traditional category of miserable. While the conditions of miserable or rustic were generally taken to be natural conditions that could not be easily changed, the condition of minor was considered to be transitory and to lead to an end with emancipation.

Archivos de comunidad en Bolivia. Saber normativo y diversidad epistémica
¿Qué son los archivos de comunidad en Bolivia, quién los conserva y cómo? Su existencia y usos son evidencia de la diversidad epistémica que existen frente al saber normativo. Aquí ponemos en valor y analizamos algunos hallazgos de estudios pioneros al respecto.

¿Un parche en una nalga, cuando el dolor es de muela? A propósito de los 15 años de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los pueblos indígenas
Reflexionar sobre los 15 años de la UNDRIP nos enfrenta a la pregunta por los impactos que tiene la normativa internacional en las luchas locales de los pueblos indígenas a nivel global. Aunque los balances de estos 15 años son en general positivos, ¿podemos realmente asumir un tono celebratorio? En este post, Karla Escobar reflexiona sobre el caso de Colombia y llama la atención sobre los limitantes estructurales que siguen afectando a los pueblos indígenas en la contemporáneidad y problematiza el papel del derecho en sus luchas.

Legal regime for a mosaic of differences: 25th anniversary of UNDRIP – experiences in Brazil
UNDRIP and ILO 169 combine with the 1988 Constitution to form a legal regime that recognizes the intrinsic value of socio-cultural diversity and defines principles for the protection of difference. In particular, the principles of self-determination and self-identification have acted as a catalyst for the agency of indigenous and other traditional peoples at different scales: from the village, through state organs, to international forums.
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.