Seminar in Historical Analysis (405-0-20)
Topic
Global Legal History
Instructors
Helen Louise Tilley
847/467-3014
Harris Hall - Room 335
Meeting Info
Harris Hall room 101: Thurs 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
How does our understanding of global history change when we foreground law and empire? To what extent have international legal regimes arisen out of imperial dynamics? Why have slavery and settler colonialism been so important to so many constitutional and state histories? This course takes up these and other questions in order to make sense of the interplay between laws and empires around the world over the last five centuries (circa 1500 to 2000). We will examine: 1) the origins and effects of mixed jurisdictions (or legal pluralism) in different regions; 2) the ways empires have shaped key concepts of sovereignty, personhood, and citizenship; 3) the role of transnational corporations in bolstering imperial rule; 4) the roots of empire in the history of human rights and global governance; 5) tensions between scientific and legal definitions of race and ancestry; 6) histories of Islamic law; 7) entanglements between cultural and intellectual property; and 8) shifting legal definitions of indigeneity.
Learning Objectives
To increase your knowledge of global and transnational history; to deepen your understanding of the historical interplay among law, empire, and global governance; and to refine your expository writing skills.
Evaluation Method
Book reviews, an undergraduate syllabus, a final essay, and class discussions