On 26th September 2024, the Launch Event for Law and Interdisciplinarity took place in the School of Law at the University of Nottingham. This was the inaugural event for the newly established discussion group, which commenced its activities on 1st July 2024 under the leadership of its founder and convenor - Dr. Sofiya Kartalova.
More than 30 scholars from the University of Nottingham participated at various times in this hybrid meeting, with most of them attending in person in room B55, Law and Social Sciences Building. The majority of the participants came from the School of Law, but a number of members from other disciplines were also present (e.g. School of Politics and International Relations, School of Economics, Business School, School of Cultures, Languages, and Area Studies).
The event programme featured the following:
13:30 - 14:00 - Meet and Greet
14:00 - 14:15 - Welcome to "Law and Interdisciplinarity" - introductory presentation by Dr. Sofiya Kartalova (Convenor)
14:15 - 15:00 - "Interdisciplinarity: Some Fundamental Questions" - presentation by Professor Paul Roberts, School of Law at the University of Nottingham
15:00 - 15:15 - Coffee break
15:15 - 15:45 - Meet the members of "Law and Interdisciplinarity" - individual introductions
15:45 - 16:15 - Roundtable discussion with the members of "Law and Interdisciplinarity" on the topic of “The Challenges and Opportunities of Law and Interdisciplinarity”
16:15 - 16:30 - Networking among the members of "Law and Interdisciplinarity"
In an introductory presentation titled “Welcome to ‘Law and Interdisciplinarity’”, Dr. Sofiya Kartalova recounted the journey from her initial idea for the initiative to the successful establishment of “Law and Interdisciplinarity”, affirming the high actuality and relevance of this project given the demands of the current research environment at the University of Nottingham and beyond. Dr. Kartalova also laid out the aims and objectives of “Law and Interdisciplinarity”, set its goals for the immediate future, and provided a brief characterisation of its membership base. She also revealed the calendar of events planned for the upcoming academic year, which featured some exciting opportunities for hosting academic presentations, interviews, and roundtable discussions with prominent scholars and publishing experts with extensive experience in the field of law and interdisciplinarity.
The highlight of the Launch Event was undoubtedly the illuminating talk given by Professor Paul Roberts of the School of Law at the University of Nottingham on the topic of “Interdisciplinarity: Some Fundamental Questions”. Professor Roberts presented a comprehensive overview of the most pertinent issues surrounding interdisciplinary legal research, while highlighting its crucial importance in terms of submitting publications for review under REF, citation statistics of journal articles, and third-party funding applications. Furthermore, Professor Roberts emphasised the methodological and theoretical challenges associated with determining the exact parameters of the relationship between interdisciplinarity and the law, as well as with defining the nature of interdisciplinarity itself. Finally, Professor Roberts posed some thought-provoking questions regarding the timeless relevance and the future of interdisciplinary legal research.
The event concluded with a lively roundtable discussion in which the members shared their personal experiences and insights on some of the theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges involved in conducting interdisciplinary legal research. The participants also discussed their suggestions for the next steps in the development of RDG “Law and Interdisciplinarity”. Lastly, “Law and Interdisciplinarity” discussion group would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Professor Olympia Bekou, Head of the School of Law at the University of Nottingham, who was present for this final part of the event.
Posted on Monday 21st October 2024