About IILAH
The Institute for International Law and the Humanities supports interdisciplinary scholarship on emerging questions of international law, governance and justice. The modern discipline of international law has been a productive site for the exploration of concepts which have also absorbed the humanities — sovereignty, jurisdiction, force, universality, territory, asylum, peace, non-discrimination, equality, development, imperialism, human rights, security and states of emergency. Many of the significant modes of thought which have framed the way in which international lawyers understand the world have developed in conversation with the humanities. IILAH continues this engagement, through fostering dialogue with scholars working in disciplines such as anthropology, art, cultural studies, geography, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, politics and theology.IILAH focuses on encouraging the work of younger scholars and those developing new approaches to the field of international law, and facilitates engagement between scholars and the community of professionals and activists working on issues of international law and governance in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. It develops networks with scholars in international law and the humanities from the global South, to explore the ways in which colonial law has arrived and been received. It also focuses on developing links with scholars in the United Kingdom and in former British colonies such as Canada, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, in order to explore the shared legacies of British colonialism with respect to international law and governance.
IILAH hosts visits of distinguished and emerging international scholars; organises conferences, public lectures, workshops and reading groups; supervises and supports the work of graduate research students; and undertakes and facilitates collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects both within the University of Melbourne and internationally. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing debates about the theoretical foundation and practical effect of international law in today’s political climate.