It is a pleasure to share with you the call for papers for a conference I am organising, 'Interrogating the 'Post-Neoliberal Moment' in Labour Law: Conflict, Institutional Change and the Political Economy of Labour,' which will take place at the University of Glasgow, 13-14 November 2025.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is 28 February 2025. For more information see below.

Date: 13-14 November 2025.
Place: School of Law, University of Glasgow.
Convener: Julieta Lobato (British Academy International Fellow at the University of
Glasgow).
Keynote speakers: Ruth Dukes (University of Glasgow), Alan Bogg (University of Bristol),
Camila Vergara (University of Essex), Andrew Lang (University of Edinburgh), Helena
Alviar García (Sciences Po).

Introduction
Over the past few years, debates in labour law scholarship have increasingly focused on
labour policy and governance under what are often described as ‘right-wing populist’,
‘illiberal’ or ‘authoritarian’ regimes,
thereby aligning with a broader trend in social
sciences and humanities. These studies often presuppose a clear departure from a
previous neoliberal phase. However, coming to terms with the idea of a ‘post-neoliberal’
moment entails, first and foremost, understanding the dimensions and extent of the
neoliberal reshaping of labour law.3 This conference seeks to examine this. It invites
contributions that scrutinise the evolution of labour law from the late 1970s to the present,
with an aim to move away from micro-level analyses focused on the standard employment
relationship and the contract of employment, towards macro-level analyses that
contextualise the changes in the regulation of the labour-capital conflict within the
reorganisation of the economic and political orders under neoliberalism. The conference,
therefore, seeks to complicate some common assumptions about the changes in labour
governance over the past few decades. Specifically, the conference posits the question
of how to account for contemporary transformations in the regulation of the labour-capital
conflict that put specific institutional arrangements in dialogue with changes in the
economy and political rationality over the past four decades. Furthermore, the conference
seeks to understand contemporary changes in the political subjectivity of labour —
normally framed under the label of ‘precarious’ work—, wherein social markers of gender,
race and migration status challenge the historical worker archetype of labour law.
Interdisciplinary investigations are particularly encouraged, especially those that connect
changes in contemporary work dynamics with the sociology of labour, economics, political
theory, geography and arts. The following topics are of particular interest:
 Situated histories and differentiated temporalities in the neoliberal reshaping of
labour law.
 The reconfiguration of labour subjectivity in late capitalism —particularly, anchored
in markers of race, gender, and migration status.
 The rise of entrepreneurism as an attack on class formation and collectivism.
 The role of labour law in the intellectual tradition of neoliberalism.
 The relevance of ideas of ‘labour market flexibility,’ ‘efficiency’ and
‘competitiveness’ for current labour governance and labour law reform.
 The increasing relevance of quantitative methods in the regulation of the labour
market —particularly, through the deployment of technical and scientific expertise
linked to measurement, risk assessment and indicators— and its theoretical
implications for labour law debates.
 The role of labour law reform and policy within the ideological projects of ‘illiberal,’
‘authoritarian,’ or ‘right-wing populist’ regimes.

Venue
The conference will take place at the School of Law, University of Glasgow.
Glasgow has its own international airport and can be easily accessed by train from other
UK locations and abroad. Glasgow is also accessible from Edinburgh’s Airport (ca. 1hour
by train).

Submissions
Scholars interested in presenting papers at the conference should submit an abstract of
up to 500 words together with a short bio (200 words) to Julieta Lobato
(Julieta.Lobato@glasgow.ac.uk) by February 28, 2025. Please use the following
subject for the email: Abstract submission — Interrogating the ‘Post-Neoliberal Moment’
in Labour Law.

Key dates
 28 February 2025 — Last day to submit paper proposals (abstracts).
 28 March 2025 — Decision on acceptance of proposals.
 13-14 November 2025 — Conference.

Logistics
Thanks to the funding provided by the British Academy, attendance to the conference will
not be charged. However, participants may have to cover their own travel and
accommodation expenses.

Contact
All questions should be addressed to Julieta Lobato (Julieta.Lobato@glasgow.ac.uk).