© KHK EViR

Münster Glossary on Legal Unity and Pluralism

For several years, phenomena of legal unity and pluralism have been intensively researched from the perspectives of various disciplines and in different periods of time. A mutual understanding of central terms and concepts is key to a productive exchange between the different research communities. The Münster Glossary on Legal Unity and Pluralism brings together articles from different disciplinary and epochal perspectives. It aims to facilitate interdisciplinary research by providing a brief introduction into different approaches of the disciplines involved.

The Glossary will be successively expanded and is published as regular intervals as part of the EViR Working Papers (ISSN: 2749-8166 (print), 2749-8174 (online)) freely accessible in open access. Each issue comes with a citable URN and DOI.

Click here for the latest edition of the Münster Glossary on Legal Unity and Pluralism

Editor
Ulrike Ludwig
Peter Oestmann
Nora Markard
Benjamin Seebröker

Editorial Office
Benjamin Seebröker

For contributors:
Guidelines Münster Glossary

If you have any questions or are interested in contributing, please contact Dr Benjamin Seebröker, benjamin.seebroeker@uni-muenster.de.

Dr Benjamin Seebröker
© khk / Heiner Witte

“A cross-disciplinary understanding is urgently required”

In an interview for the University's dossier "Connected & interdisciplinary", editor-in-chief Dr. Benjamin Seebröker explains the concept of the "Münster Glossary on Legal Unity and Pluralism" and describes the challenges which have to be overcome in interdisciplinary understanding.

Click here for the interview

  • List of all lemmas published (as of June 2026)

    Appeal – Susanne Lepsius

    Benefit of Law – Felix Grollmann-Hauber

    Centre and Periphery, Geographical – Benjamin Seebröker

    Centre and Periphery, Temporal Pluralism –  João Figueiredo

    Citizenship, Concept of – Dieter Gosewinkel

    Codification – Peter Oestmann

    Colonial Law – Raquel Gil Montero

    Commercial Custom – Sonja Breustedt

    Common Law (ius commune) – Peter Oestmann

    Common Usage (Verkehrssitte) – Peter Oestmann

    Concurrence and Competition of Norms, Historical – Hillard von Thiessen

    Conflict of Statutes Doctrine – Kristin Boosfeld

    Consilia – Ulrich Falk

    Constitutio Antoniniana – Jakub Urbanik

    Customary Law – Peter Oestmann

    Dispute Settlement (Premodern Europe) – Sophia Mösch

    Droit Commun Coutumier – Marie Seong-Hak Kim

    Droit Coutumier – Marie Seong-Hak Kim

    Droit Écrit – Marie Seong-Hak Kim

    Exception – Gregor Albers

    Federalism – Jan Matthias Hoffrogge

    Forum Shopping – Éva Jakab

    Globalisation (in its Relation to Law) – Sebastian M. Spitra

    Infrajustice/Infrajudiciaire – Karl Härter

    Intersectionality – Matthias Bähr

    Judicial Landscape – Josef Bongartz

    Justice, the Biblical-Christian Elements of Iustitia – Sophia Mösch

    Law as Culture – Andrea Nicolas

    Law as Process – Andrea Nicolas

    Legal Materiality (Antiquity) – Emilia Mataix Ferrándiz

    Legal Multiplicity – Peter Oestmann

    Legal Plurality (Roman Egypt) – Jakub Urbanik

    Legal Regime (Church) – Marco Cavarzere

    Legal Transplants – Heikki Pihlajamäki

    Legal Unity (Nation State) – Dieter Gosewinkel

    Letter of Marque – Leslie Carr-Riegel

    Lex Mercatoria – Leslie Carr-Riegel

    Living Law (Eugen Ehrlich) – Ferdinando Mazzarella

    Multinormativity – Thomas Duve

    Norm-Practice Conflict – Clara Harder/Benjamin Seebröker

    Norm, Legal – Gregor Albers

    Norm, Social – Ulrike Ludwig

    Pardons in the Context of Criminal Law – Ulrike Ludwig/Quentin Verreycken

    Peasants (Latin America) – Armando Guevara Gil

    People's Law and Learned Law – Hans-Peter Haferkamp

    Petitions (Modernity) – Alexey Tikhomirov

    Privilegium (Antike) – Salvatore Marino

    Plurality of Courts – Eva Jakab/Ulrike Ludwig

    Principle of Personality – Bernd Kannowski

    Slavery (Antiquity) – Salvatore Marino

    Reception – Mia Korpiola

    Rights (Legal Positions) – Gregor Albers

    Slavery (Antiquity) – Salvatore Marino

    Statute Application Theory – Sebastian M. Spitra

    Tribing and Tribalization – João Figueiredo

    Uses of Jutice – Karl Härter

    Usurpation (Late Antiquity) – Salvatore Marino