International Law Plus Summer School: Students from Santiago de Chile and Pretoria Visiting Hamburg

13 September 2024, by Internetredaktion

The Faculty of Law at the University of Hamburg hosted the International Law Plus Summer School from 2 - 13 September 2024. The program in Hamburg marked the final of the extensive "Bringing Together Global North and South Voices" topic, under the academic leadership of Dr. Dorothy Makaza-Goede. Throughout the summer semester, this project aimed to explore, compare, and critically reevaluate various perspectives on international law from both the global North and South. The program sought to challenge and redefine traditional legal viewpoints.

The first step in this tri-continental exchange began in March 2024, when eight students from Hamburg traveled to the University of Pretoria in South Africa. They participated in an intensive 1.5-week program alongside eight South African peers (Successful Initiation of the International Law Plus (IL+) Program at the University of Pretoria). In May, another group of eight Hamburg students visited the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, where a similar two-week academic program was organized with Chilean students. The programs in Pretoria and Santiago laid the groundwork for in-depth discussions and engagement with diverse perspectives on contemporary international law, its origins, and the future expectations and challenges it faces.

Following the return of both Hamburg cohorts, the next phase of the program began: a multi-week virtual collaboration with their international partners. In Chilean-German and South African-German tandems, students developed academic expert positions in the form of seminar papers. These papers addressed current issues in international law through a fictional inter-state dispute, exploring themes of cultural self-determination, post-colonialism, international human rights protection, and third-party intervention under the Responsibility to Protect-doctrine. A key objective was to identify and understand the different interpretations of international law between the global North and South and how these views might lead to varying outcomes.

The seminar papers were submitted just before the start of the Hamburg segment in September and served as the foundation for a mini moot court during the final two days of the International Law Plus Summer School. During the two weeks in Hamburg, participants from all three universities took part in numerous seminars and workshops, which not only facilitated the exchange of knowledge but also strengthened cultural dialogue and deepened understanding of different legal frameworks. The mini moot court, concluding the program, vividly demonstrated the expertise students had acquired throughout the International Law Plus Program. The level of presentations by students from the three universities was impressive and above average. The Hamburg program also included various extracurricular activities, such as visits to the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, the MARKK Museum, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and a tour of Hamburg City Hall. A campus tour focusing on colonial sites, prepared by the Hamburg participants using the Colonial Sites App introduced all students to previously unknown aspects and facts about the University of Hamburg and it’s not so widely known colonial past.

The International Law Plus Summer School 2024 exemplifies the University of Hamburg's commitment to integrating global perspectives into legal education. The program was funded through faculty-specific resources, funds from the International Department, as well as University of Hamburg's funding from the Excellence Strategy. The program was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the International Office of the Faculty of Law, Andrea Hearst und Dr. Stine von Förster numerous instructors from home and abroad, Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Andres Contreras Cordero from the Universidad de Chile and the unwavering academic leadership of Dr. Dorothy Makaza-Goede. She not only oversaw the ambitious and successful program in Hamburg but also accompanied the Hamburg students to Pretoria and Santiago, providing comprehensive academic support throughout the semester.

The IL+ program runs under different themes every year. This year's theme was inspired by Dr. Makaza-Goede's post-doctoral research which utilises global south-adjacent critical legal approaches, including decolonial perspectives, and is funded by the excellence strategy of the University of Hamburg.

Voices of the participating students:

„IL+ allowed me to expand the frontiers of knowledge, think critically and make new friends in the process of mutual learning.” – Mariana Fernandez Vergara, Universidad de Chile

„IL+ is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for students of International Law. Besides being exposed to distinguished academics and fascinating critical perspectives – the cross-border friendships and connections will also be cherished for the rest of my life.” – Liam Woodward, University of Pretoria

“IL+ has given me the opportunity to meet people I would never have encountered otherwise. Especially in the occasionally competitive law studies, I had the experience of community in the IL+ seminar. This experience is invaluable to me.”– Hauke Varoga, Universität Hamburg

 “The IL+ program has shed light on the differing perspectives of the Global North and South on not only academic viewpoints but also life experiences. One thing is in common, international law is constantly being examined and criticized with a bright future of new developments through up and coming voices.” – Chané Nel, University of Pretoria

The program has been held annually since 2018, addressing various current international law topics each year but this was the first year of the trilateral format as well as the inclusion of the mini-moot court challenge. More information about the program can be found here.