A Microsymposium on “Criminal Law in an Age of Democratic Decline: Institutions, Power, and Resistance”
as part of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Law
13-17 July 2026, Athens, Greece
The Law Unit of the Athens Institute is organizing a Microsymposium on “Criminal Law in an Age of Democratic Decline: Institutions, Power, and Resistance” as part of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Law, 13-17 July 2026, Athens Greece sponsored by the Athens Journal of Law.
This microsymposium examines the role of criminal law and criminal procedure in the United States amid accelerating democratic backsliding and the global rise of authoritarian politics. As political actors expand policing, immigration enforcement, protest suppression, and prosecutorial power, criminal law becomes both a tool of authoritarian consolidation and a site of resistance. Participants will explore how these tendencies
reshape doctrine, institutions, and everyday enforcement—through the suppression of dissent, expansions of “public order” and “national security” offenses, erosion of procedural safeguards, and the criminalization of migration. The discussion will also consider the heightened risks faced by marginalized communities already disproportionately targeted by the punitive state. Beyond diagnosis, microsymposiumists will reflect on the legal academy’s role in resisting antidemocratic pressures through teaching, advocacy, and theory-building. By placing current developments within longer histories of racial capitalism, colonial governance, and moral panic politics, the conversation aims to illuminate both the normalization of coercive state power and emerging sources of resilience, including community movements, litigation strategies, and scholarly interventions. Ultimately, the microsymposium asks how criminal law scholars should understand their responsibilities at a moment of democratic strain and expanding state punishment.
You may participate as a presenter of one paper and/or as attendee.
Please submit an abstract (by email only) to: atiner@atiner.gr, using the abstract submission form by 24 March 2026 to: Dr. Jamelia Morgan, Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, USA. Abstracts should include the following details: Title of Paper, Full Name (s), Affiliation, Current Position, an email address, and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission. Decisions are reached within 4 weeks.
Fee structure information is available on www.atiner.gr/fees.
Special arrangements will be made with a local hotel for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate. In addition, a number of special events will be organized which give a great opportunity to further discuss the issues presented at the conference. From Athens Institute’s long experience these events bring together scholars from different countries and disciplines which may result to research collaborations and joint publications. These events include a pragmatic symposium (as organized in Ancient Athens but fine-tuned to synchronous ethics), a special one-day educational island tour, a Mycenae and island of Poros visit, an Athens educational walking tour, a day trip to Delphi, and an ancient Corinth and Cape Sounion visit. Details of the social program are available here.
