The Centre for Asian Legal Studies (National University of Singapore) will present The Life and Future of British Colonial Sexual Regulation in Asia Oct. 8-9, 2015. Abstracts are due by April 15, 2015. Hong Kong Law Journal will publish selected papers in a special focus issue.
Scope of the conference: conference organisers hope to bring together scholars who study various facets of same- sex sexual regulation, including recent developments, its colonial legacies, and its future in Asia. The goal is to share insights on new research and collectively showcase contemporary scholarship on a timely issue in the region. The conference papers may focus on one or more of the following related to section 377 (‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’) and section 377A (‘gross indecency’) of the penal code, and other similar provisions inherited from the British by its former colonies in the Asian region: doctrinal analysis of judicial decisions, legislative contestation over repealing/retaining the law, new interpretations of the legal history of the provisions, activist campaigns/litigation efforts, post- repeal developments and further legal reforms, and feminist or other critical analyses of related judgments etc. They could feature one or more jurisdictions that were former British colonies in the Asian region, widely construed to include South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
Interested? Scholars who would like to participate in this conference should submit an abstract of 150 words and a biographical sketch of 100 words by April 15, 2015. Proposals should focus primarily on the conference scope and objective set out in this call for papers. Funding may be available for those who are selected (no separate funding application is required). Decisions, including funding availability, will be announced by 15 May 2015. Complete versions of all conference papers must be submitted by 10 September 2015. Abstracts can be submitted here.
Hat tip: The Faculty Lounge. The call for papers is also available on the Centre for Asian Legal Studies’ Facebook page (scroll down to Jan. 15, 2015). The flyer is here: 
