European Case Law in a Diverse Society
On 27 und 28 November 2025 the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology will host the annual conference of the CUREDI project. CUREDI (Cultural and Religious Diversity under State Law across Europe) is an initiative of the Department ‘Law & Anthropology’ at the MPI. The project aims to develop and maintain a publicly accessible database of case law involving issues related to the growing cultural and religious diversity in Europe, which includes analysis, commentary and related anthropological research developed by legal experts.
Empirical Investigation of the Role of Diversity in Court Decisions
“When we embarked on this project several years ago, we were motivated by the recognition that national legal orders are increasingly required to respond to the growing religious and cultural diversity of Europe – and that it is therefore essential to have empirically grounded information about whether and in what ways this diversity influences the law. We have dedicated ourselves to systematically investigating this question,” says Marie-Claire Foblets, Director of the Department ‘Law & Anthropology’ and leader of the project.
Expert Analysis of European Case Law
Currently, more than 30 legal scholars from 20 countries have contributed to the CUREDI database, which now features 125 fully accessible case law analyses alongside a further 500 still in development. Foblets adds: “The legal cases that we have selected and analysed vividly demonstrate how state law has gradually adapted to cultural and religious diversity and claims for legal recognition of this diversity.” The authors of the case law commentaries examine and contextualize the arguments used in the rulings to justify granting or rejecting of claims for the recognition of traditions, practices, or religious and other beliefs.
Comprehensive Documentation of the Transformation of State Law
“The public launch of the database this year is a major milestone,” says Foblets. “And we continue to expand our database of case law with undiminished energy.” CUREDI seeks to uncover the ways in which cultural and religious diversity influences legal orders and vice versa. The findings of the project can thus be of practical relevance for the courts and the judiciary as well as a wide variety of stakeholders across Europe.
Digitalization of the Justice System: New Possibilities and Perspectives
“For this year’s CUREDI conference, we are particularly pleased to have Wojciech Postulski as our keynote speaker,” says Foblets. Postulski is a Polish judge and Team Leader for Judicial Training, Directorate General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission. In his keynote, entitled “Bridging Cultures and Technologies: Towards a More Human-Centred Digital Justice”, he will examine the digital transformation of justice in the EU and explore how this process might create the necessary conditions for a justice system that is more accessible, fair and culturally sensitive.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Marie-Claire Foblets
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Advokatenweg 36, 06114 Halle (Saale)
Tel.: 0345 2927-300
Mail: foblets@eth.mpg.de
https://www.eth.mpg.de/foblets
Kristen Frers
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Advokatenweg 36, 06114 Halle (Saale)
Tel.: 0345 2927-375
Mail: frers@eth.mpg.de