Professor of law, member of the Italian parliament, first chairman of the Italian Data Protection Authority, one of the authors of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and chair of the Article 29 Working Party, Stefano Rodotà has been one of the most influential and innovative figures in contemporary European legal and political thought.
From his premonitory work Elaboratori elettronici e controllo sociale (Electronic Computers and Social Control) to his active role in achieving recognition of the right of access to personal data as a fundamental right in Europe, throughout his life Rodotà has fought for the recognition of tools that give citizens back control over systems of power. It was in this spirit that, in addition to his achievements in the field of digital rights, another of his persistent struggles was that for the commons (beni comuni), understood as an emergency brake against the financialization of the world.
Across more than five decades of scholarship and public engagement, Rodotà articulated a vision of law as a living field of democratic struggle, capable of expanding freedom, protecting rights, and confronting new forms of power. From his early work on private law and the terrible right of property to his groundbreaking reflections on privacy, bioethics, and the redefinition of constitutional rights, Rodotà persistently interrogated the transformations of sovereignty and citizenship in late modernity in the face of technological change.
However, Rodotà's work is still fairly confidential in France, and most scholarship it inspires tends to focus on either his work related to privacy and data protection rights, or on commons and commoning. It is in light of his legacy and of this observation that this workshop aims at discussing Stefano Rodotà and inviting contributions that explore the continuing relevance of his thought, as well as fostering discussions on the intersection between data protection and commoning.
Date and venue:
The workshop will take place in Paris on July 8th.
Expected format
Proposals are expected to contain the following information:
- Name and affiliation(s) of the author(s);
- Abstract: 500 words (+bibliography);
- (Optional): Paper the presentation is based on.
Proposals can be submitted in English, French or Italian.
They must be submitted to gianni.friaoli@unipr.it and julien.rossi04@univ-paris8.fr before May 7th 2026.