On the occasion of the new academic year, which starts in most countries in late summer/beginning of fall, Völkerrechtsblog introduces the establishment of the annual “Teaching International Law” symposium. The symposium was originally conceptualised by our late colleague, Fatima Mehmood, who envisaged a broader initiative comprising book reviews, regular blogposts and podcasts relating to the teaching of international law. To honour our dear colleague and bring her vision to life, our Editorial Team has decided to build on Fatima’s work, develop the initiative in stages, and gradually realize this broader vision.
The “Teaching International Law” symposium will, thus, take place annually following the blog’s mid-year break, which typically ends in (mid-) September. It will feature blog posts, interviews, book reviews and/or podcasts on topics relating to legal pedagogy and the practice or art of teaching in international legal academia.
This year in particular, the symposium will host a series of blog posts on the engagement with decolonial feminist approaches while teaching international law. Decolonial feminist pedagogy acknowledges the interrelated forms of oppression that are (amongst others) embedded in international law and calls for a teaching of international law that not only addresses the expressions of certain forms of oppression but rather invites students to deconstruct the system that reproduces and reaffirms these oppressive structures. At the same time critical pedagogies like decolonial feminist pedagogy are increasingly being restricted (e.g. through the Trump’s administration’s attack on DEI). With this symposium we want to examine the significance of decolonial feminist pedagogy (and of its absence) and explore its impacts on knowledge production and on how students learn and, therefore, understand international law.
The symposium kicks off with Dorothy Makaza-Goede’s contribution on decolonial feminist pedagogy. She argues that while legal education shapes how law is understood, decolonial feminist scholarship occupies a marginal discipline within legal education, therefore obstructing critical engagement with oppressive structures and their interconnectedness within the established system and structures of international law. She first outlines the necessity for decolonial feminist pedagogy in legal education before analysing the marginalisation of decolonial feminist pedagogy, and specifically examines the role and experiences of Black women scholars within legal academia. Therefore, she advocates for a reimagination of the curriculum that critically engages with preconceived notions about international law while. Lastly, she outlines how – at the same time – decolonial feminist pedagogy, alongside other critical pedagogies, is being targeted.
The symposium will continue on Tuesday with Satang Nabaneh’s contribution. The author argues through her contribution that international law education should move beyond formalist and supposedly neutral accounts of the discipline by confronting its colonial, patriarchal, and racialised foundations. She underlines the significance of a decolonial feminist pedagogy grounded in critical race theory, socio-legal practice, lived experiences from the Global South, and experiential learning, enabling students to interrogate power and translate international law into tools for grassroots social justice and accountability.
In the same vein, Ramya Kudekallu will then highlight the importance of encouraging students to critically engage with the power dynamics underlying international human rights law. In particular, her contribution will examine the role of human rights clinics as spaces where legal theory and practice intersect, particularly in confronting systemic inequality, colonialism, and the limitations of the international human rights system. The author concludes by advocating for feminist, intersectional, and community-centred approaches to clinical legal education that centre the knowledge and lived experiences of affected communities.
The symposium will conclude on Wednesday with the contribution of Nora Jaber. The author reflects on teaching international law as world-making and questions the idea of teaching international law as a neutral exercise in transmitting legal knowledge. She argues for a “politically responsible pedagogy” that confronts the unequal conditions under which scholars teach, recognizes how disciplinary authority is reproduced through assumptions of neutrality, and encourages students to critically engage with international law’s colonial and political histories, taking as an example Palestine.
We hope you will find the symposium inspiring as you are preparing for your upcoming teaching activities and wish all of you an exciting read!
