Black Traditions in International Law

Catalog description

International Law has neglected the experiences and perspectives of African Americans, in particular, and of black peoples more generally. Yet, international law was central to justifying black subjugation through slavery, colonialism, and their aftermaths today. The purpose of this course is to uncover those hidden histories. In doing so, Black Traditions in International Law will express and foreground the goals, histories and thoughts of black struggle that are not represented in journals, books and other materials of international law that we use to teach international law today. The premise of the proposed course is that Black traditions have long offered visions of global order that challenge the color blindness embedded in accounts of international law. Black traditions counter visions of international law that order the world in accordance with predominantly European and white conceptions of hierarchy and order. They challenge distortions black and non-white peoples as inferior and therefore fair game for subjugation and dehumanization through practices such as slavery and colonialism and the continuing legacies of these practices to date. Learning (c) To unearth the various ways is obscured or how it becomes invisible in international law and what international lawyers are doing about it.