معرفی
Wouter Druwé (born 1991) serves as Associate Professor of Roman Law and Legal History at KU Leuven's Faculty of Law and Criminology, where he also holds the position of vice dean for education and director of the law program (2024-2028). He is affiliated with both the main Leuven campus and the Kulak Kortrijk Campus, and is a member of the Division for Roman Law and Legal History. Druwé also serves as chair of the doctoral committee in canon law and maintains strong connections with the Faculty of Canon Law.
His research focuses on early modern ius commune, the legal history of the Low Countries, and the history of canon law, with particular expertise in testamentary practices, legal education history, and the intersection of Roman law with local legal traditions. Druwé's scholarly approach combines meticulous archival research with theoretical analysis, examining how legal concepts evolved through practical application in historical contexts. His work often explores the relationship between academic legal doctrine and actual legal practice in historical settings.
Druwé's recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the transmission of legal knowledge across time and space, with particular attention to the University of Leuven's historical role in legal education. His research spans multiple disciplines including legal history, canon law, Roman law, and intellectual history, often employing comparative methodologies to examine legal developments across different regions and time periods. The breadth of his work reflects both deep specialization in specific historical periods and the ability to connect legal developments across centuries.
- prize of the Institute of Medieval and Renaissance Studies (2016)
As an academic supervisor, Druwé mentors numerous doctoral candidates working on diverse topics spanning Roman law, canon law, legal history of the Low Countries, and early modern legal theory. His research projects, many funded through KU Leuven and external grants, address significant questions about testamentary freedom, canon law development, colonial legal history, and the evolution of legal concepts in European legal tradition. Druwé actively participates in several research institutes including LECTIO - KU Leuven Institute for the Study of the Transmission of Texts, Ideas and Images, and has established international collaborations with scholars across Europe.
Druwé contributes to multiple research teams focused on legal history, canon law, and the history of legal education, with particular emphasis on the University of Leuven's historical role. His work with the STUDIUM.AI project represents an innovative approach to mapping historical knowledge networks through digital humanities methods.