Mark Somos

Mark Somos is a distinguished scholar specializing in international law, legal history, and the history of political thought. He currently holds a Heisenberg Position at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany, where he serves as a Senior Research Affiliate. He also maintains a longstanding affiliation as a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Sussex Law School since 2012. His interdisciplinary research bridges law, history, and the history of science, with particular expertise in Grotius studies and early modern intellectual history.

Dr. Somos has an impressive educational background across multiple prestigious institutions:

• PhD in Law, Leiden University (2014)
• LL.M in Law and International Security (Distinction), University of Sussex (2012)
• PhD in Political Science, Harvard University (2007)
• A.M. in Government and Social Policy, Harvard University (2006)
• M.Phil. in Political Thought and Intellectual History, University of Cambridge (2000)
• B.A. (Honours) in History (First Class), University of Cambridge (1999)

His research interests span international law history, Grotius studies, constitutional history, the American Revolution, early modern print culture, and the history of anatomy. Somos is particularly known for his innovative "census method" of bibliographic research, which systematically tracks the provenance, ownership, and annotations of rare historical texts. His scholarly approach combines meticulous archival work with theoretical insights from political philosophy and legal theory, resulting in groundbreaking contributions to understanding how historical texts have shaped legal and political thought across centuries.

Somos's extensive publication record reveals a scholar deeply engaged with the intersection of law, history, and textual scholarship. His most recent work focuses on comprehensive bibliographic censuses of Hugo Grotius's seminal work De iure belli ac pacis, examining multiple editions across different years. He has also made significant contributions to Vesalian studies, particularly regarding Andreas Vesalius's De humani corporis Fabrica. A distinctive feature of his scholarship is the methodological innovation of the "census method," which has opened new avenues for understanding the material history and reception of foundational texts in law and science. His work demonstrates how close attention to physical books—their annotations, ownership histories, and printing variations—can illuminate broader intellectual and legal developments.

Among Somos's notable achievements are:

• Winner of a prestigious Heisenberg Position (2019)
• Balsdon Senior Fellow at the British School at Rome (2017)
• DFG Heisenberg Project: "Grotius Census Bibliography"

Throughout his career, Somos has received significant research support and held numerous academic appointments at leading institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, Tufts University, and the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. His interdisciplinary approach has allowed him to bridge traditionally separate fields, creating innovative research at the intersection of legal history, political thought, and the history of science. His work on the "state of nature" concept in American constitutional thought, published in American States of Nature: The Origins of Independence, 1761-1775 (Oxford University Press, 2019), represents a major contribution to understanding the intellectual foundations of American independence.

Somos leads the ambitious "Grotius Census Bibliography" project, which systematically documents the global distribution, ownership, and marginalia of copies of Grotius's foundational work on international law. This project exemplifies his commitment to combining traditional scholarly methods with innovative digital approaches to historical research. His collaborative work with scholars across disciplines, particularly in the fields of history of science and book history, demonstrates his ability to build productive research networks that transcend conventional academic boundaries.