'Legal humanism across nationalisms and transnational history' Presentation of the ISTHisFrench project (ERC-2024-COG 101170233

© Gautier Dufau

Speaker: Xavier Prévost, Professeur d'histoire du droit à l'université de Bordeaux. Principal investigator of the ERC-funded project ISTHisFrench
Chair: Ian Williams (St John's College, Oxford)

Xavier Prévost, Professor of Legal History at the University of Bordeaux and Principal Investigator of the ERC-funded ISTHisFrench project, will present a summary of his research. Legal history has often relied too heavily on national frameworks, which can distort the transmission of legal knowledge through outdated nationalist lenses. A key example is the Legal Humanism of the Renaissance, commonly seen as a predominantly French phenomenon and encapsulated by the term mos gallicus jura docendi (the French method of teaching law), which obscures the transnational character of this intellectual movement. The ISTHisFrench project seeks to reframe our understanding of Legal Humanism by situating it within a broader European context, mapping its historical representation, examining the emergence of legal nationalisms, and challenging the traditional “French method” narrative. Through this approach, the project aims to redefine legal historiography and illuminate its enduring impact on European national legal systems.