Leeds researcher Invited to international workshop on Emotions in International Law

Co-Director of the Legal Professions Research Group Alex Batesmith was invited to the Geneva Graduate Institute to participate in a workshop for the Emotions in International Law project.

The project explores the role and function of emotions across different areas of international law and brings together scholars working at the forefront of this emerging field.

The invitation-only workshop, held on 4–5 June 2026, brought together around 20 researchers from across the world to discuss the significance of emotions in international legal processes, institutions and practice. During the event, Mr Batesmith presented his project, ‘Emotional Labour as Institutional Architecture in International Criminal Law.’ His presentation argued not only for the importance of emotional labour within international criminal law, but also highlighted how the governance of emotional labour – and its impact on institutions, legal development and practitioners – remains significantly underexplored in existing scholarship.

The workshop generated lively and engaging discussions over the course of the two-day programme. Participants have subsequently been invited to contribute to a special Opinio Juris feature on emotions and international law, which will be published later this year. Mr Batesmith will be contributing to this initiative.

He says:

It was a real honour to be invited to participate in this workshop and to share my research with such eminent colleagues from around the world. The connections I made will undoubtedly be extremely valuable for my future research, and collaborative opportunities are already under discussion.

Further information

Learn more about the Legal Professions Research Group.