Furthering diverse voices and perspectives

On 22 July Dr Amrita Mukherjee gave the Keynote lecture at a Workshop on Rethinking the Teaching of International Law at the Walther Schücking Institute of International Law, Kiel University, Germany.

‘Rethinking the Teaching of International Law - Eurocentrism, Decolonisation and Global Perspectives’ was a workshop that critically examined how international law is taught – questioning dominant narratives, exploring decolonial perspectives, and thinking beyond Eurocentric frameworks.

The workshop brought together a wide range of legal and political science scholars and students to reflect on persistent eurocentrism in international legal education and to explore inclusive and critical teaching practices.

Dr Mukherjee’s Keynote was on the subject of ‘Furthering Diverse Voices and Perspectives: the Possibilities of Transformative International Law’.

She was asked to give the lecture on the basis of her expertise in postcolonial approaches to international law, legal orientalism and Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), as well as her contributions to legal education and critical pedagogy at the University of Leeds. All of which made her “an ideal voice for the reflections we hope to foster during the workshop" – Dr Liv Christiansen.

Dr Mukherjee says:

I was honoured to be invited to this prestigious event at a University Centre dedicated to the late Walther Schücking, a judge of the International Court of Justice, who challenged the authority of the Nazi party, in power at that time in Germany.

She also notes that:

The Keynote and Workshop discussions were very well received, with participants noting that they had felt inspired and challenged to think more deeply about inclusive teaching.

The School of Law congratulates Dr Mukherjee on her contributions to this important discussion.

Dr Mukherjee is a member of Centre for Law and Social Justice and Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education and can be found on LinkedIn.