The Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World (PLSMW) hosts a wide range of both public and private events aimed at advancing academic scholarship in the field, facilitating policy discussions on pressing issues, and engaging the Harvard Law community and broader audiences with contemporary issues and emerging debates in the study of law and society in Muslim  majority and minority contexts.

Many of these events are collaboratively coordinated with other partnering research programs, institutions, and student organizations. By convening such public speaker events, conferences, and symposia Harvard, PLSMW seeks to bring attention to pertinent topics in the field and spur intellectual deliberation among experts and interested students and scholars. Many of our public events also are recorded and available to view in the videos section of this website.

Below is a list and brief description of our various categories and types of events.

Visiting Fellow Workshop Series

Each academic year our visiting fellows and scholars meet to review and critique drafts of each other’s scholarship in progress, in small closed-door gatherings designed to foster open and critical discussion and exchange of feedback. The review and critique process is designed both to improve the calibre of research produced within the Program as well as offer a space for constructive engagement and mutual learning among experts and scholars working on a given topic or theme.  In addition to the Program’s faculty, staff, and visiting fellows, we also welcome interested HLS and Harvard University graduate students and experts in the field to participate in workshops discussing their relevant topics of interest. 

Academic and Manuscript Workshops

Each academic year our visiting fellows and scholars meet to review and critique drafts of each other’s scholarship in progress, in small closed-door gatherings designed to foster open and critical discussion and exchange of feedback. The review and critique process is designed both to improve the calibre of research produced within the Program as well as offer a space for constructive engagement and mutual learning among experts and scholars working on a given topic or theme.  In addition to the Program’s faculty, staff, and visiting fellows, we also welcome interested HLS and Harvard University graduate students and experts in the field to participate in workshops discussing their relevant topics of interest.

One of the Program on Law and Society’s primary goals is to advance and encourage scholarship in the field. We hold academic workshops that seek out authors to contribute publishable work addressing particular topics of contemporary relevance that push the field towards new and innovative scholarship.

Public Lectures and Discussions

The Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World hosts a wide array of public events that hosts law practitioners, experts, and scholars to discuss contemporary issues and debates and offer analytical and critical perspectives on recent developments. Many of these events were held in person at the HLS campus, with nearly 100 speakers hosted since the launch of the Program and thousands of students and community members having attended and participated in our public events.

Film Screenings and Discussions

The Program has hosted multiple film screenings that utilize the powerful medium of film to bring to attention important and critical issues, including human rights, gender and women’s rights, and migrant rights. In conjunction with film screenings, we host filmmakers and experts in topics related to the films for live Q&A and substantive discussions related to the subjects.

Click here to view our past events.