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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

The Role of Anthropological Knowledge in Addressing Injustices Beyond International Law

presenters

    Safa Daud

    Nationality: United Kingdom

    Residence: Essex

    51 Glenmere

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

This abstract explores how anthropological perspectives have shaped, and continue to shape, international law through transnational legal activism. By examining case studies where anthropological knowledge has influenced international legal practices—such as indigenous justice issues, environmental protection, and transitional justice mechanisms—we can better understand the synergies between these disciplines. Anthropological research has highlighted issues of injustice, providing crucial material for transforming transnational legal activism, shaping international legal norms, and developing advocacy strategies to protect indigenous territories and cultural practices. This paper will assess and analyze how transnational legal activism addresses issues of injustice that international law alone may not adequately address. This includes incorporating anthropological knowledge, such as indigenous worldviews, which offers alternative perspectives and solutions to legal challenges. By integrating these insights, transnational legal activism can bridge gaps in international law, providing more comprehensive and culturally relevant responses to injustices. Moreover, the decolonial movement within anthropology, which argues for a more radical critique beyond post-colonialism, parallels calls within international law for decolonial approaches that fully address the legacies of colonialism. This paper will highlight how anthropological knowledge can contribute to more equitable and culturally informed legal practices, and how legal frameworks can benefit from a deeper understanding of cultural diversity and historical context. Additionally, this paper will suggest future directions for interdisciplinary research and collaboration between anthropology and law. It will identify emerging areas of interest where these disciplines could jointly address global challenges, such as climate change, migration, and human rights violations. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary dialogue aims to foster a more integrated approach to justice and cultural recognition on a global scale, emphasizing the importance of plural knowledge systems in both anthropology and law. Through this engagement, this paper seeks to uncover the potential for anthropological knowledge to enhance the efficacy of transnational legal activism in addressing global injustices

Keywords:

Anthropological knowledge Transnational legal activism International law Injustices Indigenous rights