Everyday Ambassadors: Lessons from Socio-legal Studies for Leadership in a Fractured World

Join Professor Annelise Riles of Northwestern University as she delivers the LSJ Annual Lecture on encouraging and equipping each of us in our ongoing work as everyday ambassadors.

The Centre for Law and Social Justice at the University of Leeds is delighted to announce the details of its annual lecture 2024. The lecture will be given by Professor Annelise Riles on the topic of ‘Everyday Ambassadors: Lessons from Socio-Legal Studies for a Fractured World’. The annual lecture provides an opportunity to engage with, and celebrate, the work of a prominent socio-legal scholar. 

Abstract

It’s a turbulent time in global affairs. What role can each of us play on issues from climate change to peace and security to migration and inequality? While some say that the problem is with people and their values – if only people had a more cosmopolitan world view, more knowledge of global affairs or more commitment to liberal values – sociolegal studies would suggest that what we really need are new capacities suited to the times. In particular, we need new ways to embrace and support emerging forms of global leadership outside the corridors of formal institutions like the UN or the IMF on issues from climate change to migration.

The aim of the forthcoming book upon which this lecture is based is to democratize the tacit knowledge of insiders in global affairs. Drawing on three decades of sociolegal research in global governance, the book surfaces tricks of the trade that activists, international lawyers and diplomats use where institutions fail – tools and moves to create new pathways to progress. These are moves that each of us can put into practice, from where we are, to further meaningful change. The aim is to encourage and equip each of us in our ongoing work as everyday ambassadors.

About the Speaker

Professor Riles is currently the Executive Director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern University and a Professor of Law and Anthropology. Her scholarship spans a wide range of substantive areas including human rights, managing and accommodating cultural differences, and the regulation of the global financial markets. Professor Riles work is known for its methodological contributions as well as for its contributions to the study of international institutions and expertise. She has conducted legal and anthropological research in China, Japan, and the Pacific and speaks Chinese, Japanese, French, and Fijian. Her publications span a range of topics, including comparative law, conflict of laws, financial regulation, and central banking.

Riles is also the founder and director of Meridian-180, a multilingual forum for transformative leadership. Its global membership of 800+ thought leaders in academia, government and business work together to generate ideas and guidance

How to Attend

Please sign up in advance here.