January World-renowned genocide scholar to deliver public lecture at University of Galway

One of the world’s foremost experts on genocide, Professor William Schabas, will deliver a public lecture at the University on how the international legal system addresses racism and racial discrimination.

The lecture will be given in the Aula Maxima, in the Quadrangle, on Wednesday January 31, at 4pm.

Professor Schabas is the former director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. He is the author of numerous works on human rights, international crimes and genocide and he is currently based at Middlesex University. 

Professor Schabas has appeared before the International Court of Justice and was formerly appointed to a UN commission of inquiry on Gaza.

Organised by the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law, the lecture will see Professor Schabas discuss how the international legal system addresses racism and racial discrimination, drawing on his new book The International Legal Order’s Colour Line.  

Professor Shane Darcy, Deputy Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, said: “We are delighted to host this lecture at a crucial time for the protection of human rights. With atrocities continuing in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, and with international law itself in jeopardy, Professor Schabas’ insights on the strengths and weakness of the international legal system in this domain will prove invaluable.”

Professor William Schabas’ new book The International Legal Order's Colour Line (Oxford University Press, 2023) narrates how prior to the 20th century, international law was predominantly written by and for the “civilised nations” of the white Global North. It justified doctrines of racial inequality and effectively drew a colour line that excluded citizens of the Global South and persons of African descent from participating in international law-making while subjecting them to colonialism and the slave trade.

The book charts the development of regulation on racism and racial discrimination at the international level, principally within the UN. Most notably, it outlines how these themes gained traction once the Global South gained more participation in international law-making after the First World War. It challenges the narrative that human rights are a creation of the Global North by focussing on the decisive contributions that countries of the Global South and people of colour made to anchor anti-racism in international law.

The lecture is open to the public.

Ends