Lauren Benton & Rohit De

This week, Digging a Hole explores global legal theory and history to match up with Sam’s European adventures! We are lucky to be joined by two of our Yale colleagues, Lauren Benton, Barton M. Biggs Professor of History and Professor of Law, and Rohit De, Associate Professor of History and Associate Research Scholar in Law.

We begin by discussing global legal theory and the way that thinking about legal ideas from a non-Western perspective can change the way we think about legal theory here and everywhere. In this conversation, we also talk about the disconnect between the recent explosion of work in global legal history and the American legal academy. We also touch on whether the personnel teaching in law schools plays a role in that disconnect.

Next, we talk about Lauren’s project “On Small Wars: Legalities of Violence in European Empires.” Through the project, Lauren seeks to answer what patterns of violence can one suss out that we have not regarded as legal in character and how they influenced global order and emerging international law. Sam, our resident international scholar, teases out whether law is doing much in this story or if the violence is producing the law. Lastly, we quibble over whether there has been continuity in violence and the legality of it or if the 20th and 21st century have had novelties in this area.

Then we overview the Yale Law and Modernization Project, which had a significant impact on postcolonial legal intellectuals. We also take up Rohit’s ongoing work on progressive lawyering after decolonization.

Referenced Readings

• “Context in the History of International Law,” Andrew Fitzmaurice.
• “India's Grand Advocates: A Legal Elite Flourishing in the Era of Globalization,” Marc Galantar and Nick Robinson.
• Savage Wars of Peace, Max Boot.
• Ideology of Popular Justice in Sri Lanka: A Socio-Legal Inquiry, Neelan Thiruchelvam.
• “Legal Education and the End of Empire: Renewing Cosmopolitan Kinship,” John Harrington and Ambreena Manji.