Call for Papers for the Thematic Dossier “Law, Institutions and Racial Relations”
The articulation between Law, Institutions and Racial Relations constitutes a field of study and intervention concerned with understanding how racism, in its multiple dimensions, is manifested and perpetuated through the legal order, the justice system and social organisations. In this context, this thematic dossier seeks to foster academic debate on racial justice and on the implementation of anti-racist measures within legal institutions.
The dossier will be organised by Delton Aparecido Felipe, from the Interdisciplinary Studies Centre of the State University of Maringá – PR (NEIAB/UEM); Quéren Samai Moraes Santana, from the Network of Studies in Educational Law and Legal Education (REDEEJ/UFBA) and the São Paulo Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV Direito SP); and Thiago Amparo, from the Applied Research Centre on Law and Racial Justice at the Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV Justiça Racial).
The proposal aims to bring together research investigating the interconnections between Law, Institutions and Racial Relations in both the public and private spheres in Brazil. Articles addressing different perspectives on this relationship are welcome, including topics such as public security, education, affirmative action, police violence, racial profiling, the legal treatment of racially motivated crimes and violence, the institutional practices of security forces directed against racialised populations, institutional barriers to the access of Black people to management and decision-making positions, the implementation of affirmative action in the public and private sectors, and initiatives in anti-racist legal education.
The relevance of this dossier lies in the possibility of broadening academic discussion on how institutions are organised to address legal norms aimed at combating racism and promoting racial equality today. It is based on the premise that institutions, far from operating in a neutral manner, are shaped by and instrumentalised through structural and institutional racism, which demands critical analysis, knowledge production and the formulation of strategies for transformation.
In view of the importance of this debate, the UEM Journal of Legal Sciences invites researchers to submit articles to this thematic dossier. The expectation is to bring together theoretical and empirical contributions that encourage critical reflection on the role of Law and Institutions both in the perpetuation of discrimination and in the identification of strategies to confront the violence resulting from racial inequalities.
Timeline- Article submission deadline: 30 April 2026
- Expected publication date: 30 June 2026
To submit contributions to this dossier, prior registration in the electronic system of the UEM Journal of Legal Sciences (RCJ UEM), a journal of the Law Programme at the State University of Maringá, is mandatory and may be completed through the journal’s official webpage.
Submissions must be original and unpublished and may not be under simultaneous review by another journal or conference. In addition, as an essential step in the submission process, authors must ensure the strict conformity of the manuscript with all items set out in the journal’s guidelines.
Access to the journal and submission guidelines:
https://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/revcienjur/about
