This academic conference, open to doctoral students and recent PhD graduates, focuses on the study of human vulnerability in the legal field. The concept of vulnerability has grown exponentially, permeating a wide range of legal spheres. The volume of research in recent decades has been so vast that some have concluded that vulnerability is universal, or that its substance has been diluted, sometimes calling into question the very relevance of the subject. However, the scope of the research does not preclude further study of the concept; rather, it represents the first phase of that study.

Thus, the objective of this research conference is to identify the key issues for a new phase of reflection by refining the legal response to this concept. The morning session will provide an opportunity to take stock of this first phase of research. The afternoon will be devoted to ongoing research on vulnerability and to the prospects for the second phase of the study. The methods, criteria, mechanisms, and timing of protective measures—whether they take the form of statutory prevention or corrective relief—will be at the heart of this event.

With the aim of contributing to the development of a more inclusive society, and as part of the UNESCO Chair’s “Vulnerability and Peace Issues” cycle, this project is being conducted under the academic direction of Armelle Gosselin-Gorand and Gilles Raoul-Cormeil, professors of private law at the University of Caen Normandy (ICREJ).

Young scholars are represented by two doctoral students in private law from the ICREJ research laboratory, the organizers of the conference, whose dissertation research focuses specifically on the concept of vulnerability in law:

• Shannon Leinster, “Methods of Private International Law in the Context of Vulnerability,” supervised by Armelle Gosselin-Gorand.
• Alexandre Morin, “The Hyper-Vulnerability of the Human Person,” co-supervised by Gilles Raoul-Cormeil and Laurence Mauger-Vielpeau.