New collected volume examines unity and pluralism in Roman law

The volume edited by Gregor Albers and Sebastian Lohsse, Ausnahme und Vielfalt im römischen Recht, documents the papers presented at a conference of the same name, which took place from 7 to 9 July 2022 at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg in Münster. It marked the start of a series of conferences organised by Gregor Albers, which also focused on pre-modern law (2023) and modern law since the French Revolution (2025).

Law is constantly caught between the forces of unity and pluralism. Even Roman law, often perceived as a uniform system, never constituted a closed system in itself. Rather, one can observe a development drawing on various sources and legal traditions that were interrelated over the course of centuries. It was only over time that these layers of law became increasingly standardized – for example, through the recognition of honorary law as ius civile, the effects of the Constitutio Antoniniana, or the comprehensive legislation of Emperor Justinian.

The eight contributions in this volume examine this developmental process from the perspective of rule and exception. The study explores the extent to which the diversity of Roman law is reflected in relationships between rules and exceptions, and the ways in which exceptions could sometimes give rise to new rules.

The series

The series ‚Einheit & Vielfalt im Recht | Legal Unity & Pluralism‘ is edited by Ulrike Ludwig and Peter Oestmann and is published by Böhlau Verlag. The series conceptualises legal pluralism as a structural characteristic of law itself. We can therefore speak of a relational and historically changeable association between unity and pluralism in law. The book series intends to comprehensively illuminate these connections in their cultural polymorphy interdisciplinarily, transspatially and interepochally. The volumes are published in German and English and are predominantly open-access.

Bibliographic Data

Gregor Albers/Sebastian Lohsse (Hrsg.): Ausnahme und Vielfalt im römischen Recht, 2026, 212 pages, gebunden (Einheit & Vielfalt im Recht / Legal Unity & Pluralism, Bd. 7), Böhlau, Printed Volume: ISBN: 978-3-412-53392-2, Preis 40,00 EUR; E-Book: ISBN: 978-3-412-53393-9, Open-Access.