The UNIC Athens School of Law and the University of Nottingham School of Law are organizing a new Series of Online Lectures, launching in the 2026–27 academic year, aimed at fostering academic exchange and discussion on contemporary and emerging issues in law.
The series will bring together members of academic staff from both Schools, as well as distinguished academics from other institutions, to explore a broad range of legal fields. Lectures may also address interdisciplinary topics and may feature joint presentations by academics from the two Schools.
The first lecture of the series will take place on Thursday, 15 October 2026, from 18:00 to 19:00 (Greek time).
First Lecture
Does the Size of a State Affect the Function of the Constitution in Deeply Divided Societies?
This lecture will explore the interplay between factors associated with the small size of a state and identity conflicts in deeply divided societies, and their implications for the operation of the constitution.
Two contrasting cases will be examined as exemplars: Mauritius, which, despite its size and the diversity of religious and linguistic groups within its population, has successfully addressed these challenges and achieved the relatively smooth operation of its constitutional system; and Cyprus, where questions relating to the functioning of the constitutional order continue to be closely connected with the island’s longstanding divisions.
Participation
The lectures will be open to students, members of academic staff, and anyone interested in the topic, and will be delivered online via Zoom, subject to prior registration.
Register here
The lecture will be delivered in English.
About the speaker
Dr Christos Papastylianos
Associate Professor of Public Law
School of Law, University of Nicosia
Dr Christos Papastylianos is Associate Professor at the School of Law of the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. He holds a PhD in Law from the European University Institute (Florence) and an LLM in Political Science and Public Law from the Law Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
His research focuses on constitution-making and constitutional change, including constitutional amendment and informal constitutional change, emergency situation doctrines, Greek and Cypriot constitutional history, immigration and asylum law, and other areas of comparative constitutional law and theory.
His publications have appeared, among others, in the Cyprus Review, Religions, and the Vienna Journal on International Constitutional Law.
