Global Law at Reading (GLAR) is the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at the University of Reading. 2016 saw a very successful year of seminars with key speakers for ‘Axis of Protection: Human Rights in International Law’ and the ‘Ghandhi Research Seminar Series’
The ‘Axis of Protection: Human Rights in International Law’ seminar series, inaugurated in Autumn 2013, provides an opportunity for scholars to engage in discussion of contemporary and challenging issues concerning the protection of human rights in international law with emphasis on human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international refugee law. It is co-convened by Dr Ana Beduschi (Exeter), Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne (Reading), Dr Annika Jones (Durham), Dr Dr Kubo Mačák (Exeter), and Dr Reuven (Ruvi) Ziegler (Reading and Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford). This academic year, the series has received a grant from the Society of Legal Scholars Small Projects and Events Fund.
The first seminar for this academic year took place at Reading on 3 February 2016. The session, chaired by Dr Ruvi Ziegler, featured Professor Hélène Lambert (Westminster) (‘Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality and Refugee Status’). A podcast is available at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/GlobalLaw/GLARPodcast17.aspx.
The other series seminars for 2015-2016 were held at the University of Exeter on 16 March 2016, featuring Dr Louise Arimatsu (LSE) (‘the legal protection of displaced persons’); at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford on 12 May 2016, featuring Dr. David Cantor (SAS) (‘Protection, surrogacy and defining refugees’) and at Durham University on 6 June 2016, featuring Dr Nicola Palmer (KCL) (‘Pluralism in Practice: Interpreting the International, National and Localised Legal Responses to the Rwandan Genocide).
In 2015, GLAR launched the Ghandhi Research Seminar Series, which showcases the work of leading experts in these global law fields. The series is convened by Professor James A. Green, and is named in honour of Professor Sandy Ghandhi, who taught at the School of Law from 1978 to 2013. Five world-renowned external speakers presented papers at Reading in 2015-16, on topics ranging from the concept of aggression in international law to the legal relationship between business, trade and human rights. The series’ programme for 2016-17 will be announced in October. GLAR also produces a monthly podcast, which is free to download or stream: it features guest presentations, discussion forums and workshops: https://www.reading.ac.uk/GlobalLaw/GLAR-podcast.aspx.