Junior Scholar Workshop at University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Law

has established a Junior Scholar Workshop to stimulate the exchange of ideas and research among younger scholars in the academy on Human Rights in the Global South: The Role of the State and the Non-State. This transnational initiative to foster legal scholarship reaches out specifically to junior scholars working in countries of the so-called Global South. The Workshop encourages submissions representing a wide range of views, techniques and methodologies.

At this point in history it is trite to suggest that the evolving role of non-state actors is transforming the landscape of human rights law. Yet despite repeated calls to incorporate the reality of non-state actor law-making in our accounts of human rights law, scholars are still struggling to incorporate this empirical insight in the emerging literature of law and human rights. How can human rights law be further enriched by a nuanced understanding of the ways in which non-state actors are both protecting human rights and preventing the realization of these rights? And what is the role of the state in protecting human rights in an era where security, immigration control and global trade appear to dominate state? This Workshop invites submissions on all these themes, including papers addressing the scope, impact and future of human rights as they apply to the corporate world.

The 2015 Workshop will take place in Vancouver, Canada at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law. The workshop will begin the evening of June 8th and end the evening of June 10th. In order to be considered for the 2015 Workshop, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Citizens of countries in the imagined and real geographic space commonly referred to as the Global South, including nations in Africa, Central and Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.

• Current academic institution is outside the United States, Canada, Europe or Australia.

• Have held a faculty position (including positions equivalent to faculty position) for less than ten years as of 2015. This Workshop is thus targeted at early stage faculty members, and not graduate students.

A large emphasis in this Workshop is placed on bringing together early career researchers from the Global South for a dialogue with junior and senior faculty members from UBC Law and beyond to present their work and receive immediate feedback on scholarship at the intersection of law and human rights. The concentration of expertise at this Workshop, and the Workshop structure will allow for one-on-one mentoring of each scholar presenting their work. The Workshop is intended to connect promising scholars and established researchers in discussions that will develop and strengthen the scholarship presented and at the same time will establish a scholarly community and support network for these scholars for years to come.
This call for papers invites the submission of abstracts, in English, of no more than two (2) pages long. Please use the abstract to set out a plan for the paper, articulate its major argument, explain its methodology, and describe what you see as the paper’s contribution to scholarship. Abstracts should also contain the author’s name, home institution, and the title of the proposed paper. Please also send a current curriculum vitae. Abstracts are due by December 1, 2014 to Ms. Iris Oi Yin Lee by email (lee@law.ubc.ca). Regrettably, no applications beyond this date can or will be considered.
After the abstracts are reviewed, we will invite a number of junior scholars to attend the workshop. Selection will be based on the quality of research. Quality being equal, selection may be guided by an interest in promoting thematic coherence at the Workshop and regional diversity. Applicants selected for participation will be required to submit a draft of their full paper, in English, by May 8, 2015. Compliance with this deadline is critical as the papers will be forwarded to those senior legal scholars participating in the Workshop on this date, in order that they may prepare their responses to the papers.
The Workshop committee will cover the economy airfare expenses of scholars invited to participate, as well as providing accommodation, meals and local transport in Vancouver. The workshop will present an opportunity for participants to be matched with UBC faculty members who will provide detailed comments on the paper. The Workshop will also involve two senior international human rights scholars from outside UBC as Workshop leaders who will provide feedback on the papers and contribute to the scholarly dialogue throughout the workshop. It is anticipated that the papers will be published as a special edition of a peer-reviewed law journal.
Questions about the workshop should be directed to Professor Natasha Affolder, Associate Dean Research and International, UBC Faculty of Law (affolder@law.ubc.ca).
The Workshop organizers thank the Allard Prize Committee (www.allardprize.org) for its generous funding of this initiative.