Description

Human rights law has been made a compulsory subject in Myanmar universities for both Law and International Relations/Political Science. The introduction of the subject into the university curricula has been supported by capacity-building efforts from a range of foreign entities ostensibly directed at improving the knowledge and skills of Myanmar law faculty regarding international human rights. The aspirations of international aid providers, however, has been challenged by a range of contextual factors that foster Myanmar exceptionalism. The presentation reviews the contextual issues that have challenged the transplant of international human rights as a subject into Myanmar universities, and offers analysis using an ethics framework to identify potential solutions to address the tensions between Myanmar exceptionalism and international expectations. The analysis then draws implications for comparable efforts in other subjects that attempt to promote international concepts into a domestic law school curriculum.

About The Speaker

Jonathan Liljeblad received a PhD and JD from the University of Southern California (USC), an MS from the University of Washington (UW), and a BS from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His research largely focuses on rule-of-law, with case studies from human rights and environmental issues. His fieldwork is mostly in Myanmar. Generally, his research falls within the fields of international law, rule-of-law, human rights, environmental law, law & development, and law & society. Due to the empirical nature of his research, his work connects academia, government, and civil society; seeks interdisciplinary, transboundary, and cross-cultural collaborations; and endeavors to nurture direct impact upon policy-makers and societal leaders. He was born in Myanmar, but grew up in Sweden and the United States. He received an Endeavour Research Grant (2018) and was a Fulbright Scholar (2014-2015). He currently is working on projects supported by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Danish Institute of Human Rights (DIHR), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).