About the Journal

The Toothless Law is a scholarly journal dedicated to maritime and ocean law, with particular attention to Indonesia as an archipelagic state. It examines the relationship between legal norms, their implementation, and their effects on coastal communities, maritime activities, and the marine environment.

The journal’s name uses “toothless law” as a critical metaphor for the gap between legal rules and their practical effectiveness. It welcomes studies examining both the conditions that undermine legal protection and those that enable law to work effectively, connecting what the law ought to prescribe (das Sollen) with how it operates in practice (das Sein).

The journal publishes original research articles, conceptual studies, case analyses, and policy studies using doctrinal, empirical, comparative, or interdisciplinary approaches. Its scope covers the law of the sea, ocean and archipelagic governance, fisheries, shipping and ports, coastal and small-island governance, marine environmental protection, and the rights of coastal communities. All contributions must address a clearly defined legal question within maritime and ocean law.

Comparative and international studies are welcome when they advance understanding of legal challenges facing Indonesia or other archipelagic and coastal states. Through rigorous and critical legal scholarship, The Toothless Law seeks to contribute to effective maritime governance, accountability, access to justice, and the protection of coastal communities and the marine environment.