ANZSIL Seminar: 'Nothing about us without us' Incorporating lived experiences of displacement in international law scholarship

The perspectives of those with lived experience of displacement – whether from persecution, conflict or disasters – are remarkably absent from international law scholarship. In the post-WWII era, few international legal scholars have experienced displacement themselves, and many have been slow to incorporate the perspectives of people who have. This is partly related to the disciplinary bias of international law, with its focus on the State. It is also a function of methodology: until relatively recently, it was uncommon for international lawyers to do interview based/participatory research. Yet it is also about framing: what we ‘see’ as being within the purview of our field and what we understand ‘international law scholarship’ to be.

At the first Global Refugee Forum in 2019, the Kaldor Centre pledged to provide opportunities for scholars with lived experience of displacement. There is still a long way to go, but this panel explores some of the obstacles and opportunities. It examines what ‘scholarship’ means in this context: is it simply about the direct production of knowledge through published works, or does it extend to showcasing knowledge and experiences through interviews and NGO/community/academic partnerships? Do peer-review processes limit opportunities for new voices to emerge? What can we learn from other fields of international law research?

This 90-minute interactive Q&A session will include a wide-ranging and rich discussion, with time set aside for audience Q&A.

This panel will feature Tamara Wood, Rifaie Tammas, Tristan Harley, Susan Harris Rimmer, Katerina Teaiwa and Tina Dixson as speakers.  For more information see here.