As a social phenomenon, law has been long defined and developed to foster the status quo of a power relationship, including the gender interrelation, before women started to carry out social roles and engage in making law (MacKinnon, 1982; Munro, 2018). Feminist legal theory has been introduced to jurisprudence as a critical approach (Barlett, 1990). The feminist legal theory critiques that law does not consider women’s experiences and perspectives even though it does address the women’s problem in society (Olsen, 1990). It raised the question of how masculine views have a significant influence on creating and advancing legal concepts and norms (Finley, 1989; Olsen, 1998). To enhance social justice and improve gender equality, the feminist legal theory has increasingly employed to research several areas of law ranging from rape, sexual worker, labor law to tort, contract, and property law (Freeman, 2014).

In the Vietnamese context, cultural and social values and traditions have long defined women’s subordinate role. However, in recent decades, the Vietnamese government has pursued a gender equality policy. Vietnam has been a state party of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women since 1982. The Law on Gender Equality has taken effect since 2007. At the policy-making and governmental level, the gender matter receives significant attention and awareness. However, Vietnamese legal scholarship has overlooked the gender-matter. The feminist legal theory has not developed as mainstream, or at least a strong legal methodology, in the current Vietnamese jurisprudence. 

The University of Economics and Law (UEL), a member of the Vietnam National University at Hochiminh City, and our partner, the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Southeast Asia, are proud to present our FEMINISM, GENDER, AND LAW conference. The conference provides a platform and open dialogue to bring together scholars, academics, policymakers, and interested participants for sharing and discussing this interesting and developing area of law and jurisprudence. We hope to generate the feminist legal theory as a critical approach to law and enhance social justice worldwide in general and in Vietnam in particular. 

Given the Covid 19 pandemic’s impact, the conference will be organized in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual) on 29 October 2021 at the UEL, Hochiminh City, Vietnam. There will be no registration fee.

Keynote speakers include: Professor Rosemary Hunter (University of Kent)

We invite contributors to submit abstracts by 15 July 2021 (extended). After reviewing abstracts by 20 July 2021, we invite selected authors to prepare and send full manuscripts by 15 September 2021. Selected authors will present their works at a plenary and group sessions of the one-day conference held on 29 October 2021.

We encourage the contributors to submit their conference paper to the Science & Technology Development Journal – Economics – Law and Management (STDJELM) (http://stdjelm.scienceandtechnology.com.vn/index.php/stdjelm)  by expressing their intention in the email submitting the abstract.

Key information

A hybrid conference on feminism, gender, and law will be held at the University of Economics and Law, Hochiminh City, Vietnam.

The timeline is anticipated as follows:

• Deadline for submission of abstract: 15 July 2021 (extended)
• Invitation to submit full manuscripts: 20 July 2021
• Deadline for submission of full manuscripts: 15 September 2021
• Conference date: 29 October (to be confirmed)

Information inquiries and submission:  feminism.uel.conference@uel.edu.vn

Abstracts

Abstracts and a CV should be sent by 15 July 2021 (extended) to  feminism.uel.conference@uel.edu.vn

We welcome contributions regarding any topic on feminist legal theory and gender matters in policy and law-making, including but not limited to:

• Different interpretations and schools of feminist legal theory;
• The importance of recognition and implementation of feminist legal theory;
• The implication of the feminist approach for the advancement of social justice; 
• Issues of implementing feminist legal theory in terms of legal, cultural, practical challenges;
• International experiences in implementing feminist legal theory;
• Feminist approach to particular areas of law, such as but not limited to labor law, marriage and family law, commercial law, criminal law, criminal and civil procedural law;
• Gender-based aspects of particular law areas, such as but not limited to labor law, marriage and family law, commercial law, criminal law, criminal and civil procedural law.

Instructions for abstracts

• Abstracts should include the author’s title and name, organization, paper title and email address.
• Language: English.
• Word Length: not exceeding 500 words, exclusive of the list of reference.
• Format: Microsoft Word Document.