The Institute was created in 1988 by the Research Committee on the Sociology of Law and the Government of the Basque Country (Spain). From the outset, the Institute created international collaborative relations between sociology of law scholars by providing facilities for seminars, workshops, visiting scholars and library research. The Institute has now grown into an important base for the international network of scholars who work on law and social science issues. The Institute is located in a Spanish Renaissance building completed in 1543 as a university law school and donated by the provincial government of Gipuzkoa. International Masters programme: We offer an International Masters programme on Sociology of Law, which is unique in that teachers are drawn from leading international scholars who travel to the Institute rather than having permanent teaching staff. This means that students to the highest standard of scholarship in sociology of law. Workshops and publications: A workshop programme runs from April to July. Workshop applicants are competitive, with each event bringing together leading international scholars, upcoming researchers, practitioners, and activists for intensive discussions. Papers from the workshops are usually published either in the Oñati International Series in Law and Society (Hart) or on the Online Oñati Socio-Legal Series. The Institute also hosts an online journal: Sortuz, Oñati Journal of Emergent Sociolegal Studies. Library: One of the most extensive in Europe, it contains major collections in English and Spanish and significant materials in French, German and Italian. Grants and visiting schemes: The Institute welcomes visitors at every level, from doctoral and post-doctoral to experienced researchers, and offers residence scholarships especially for doctoral students. Visitors, teachers and students are provided with accommodation in an 18th century residence, Palacio Antía, made available by the town of Oñati.
