Ethnicity and International Law presents an historical account of the impact of ethnicity on the making of international law. The development of international law since the nineteenth century is characterised by the inherent tension between the liberal and conservative traditions of dealing with what might be termed the 'problem' of ethnicity. The present-day hesitancy of liberal international law to engage with ethnicity in ethnic conflicts and ethnic minorities has its roots in these conflicting philosophical traditions. In international legal studies, both the relevance of ethnicity, and the traditions of understanding it, lie in this fact.

The breakup of the former Yugoslavia demonstrates the limitations of international law in the face of ethnic conflict. The contributors to this book examine the various roles international law and international institutions play in dealing with ethnic conflict. International Law and Ethnic Conflict first covers general philosophical, historical, and cultural issues arising from attempts to apply international law to ethnic conflict. The authors assess the legitimacy of demands based on group identity, the legal rights of ethnic groups, the validity of various entitlement claims, and the meaning of statehood. They then consider the institutional and policy responses of international organizations and states in their attempts to deal with ethnic conflict and analyze the extent to which various forms of intervention prove successful.

A critical analysis of how international law operates in the ideology of the postcolonial state to marginalise minority groups.

The large-scale establishment of ethnic minorities and diasporic communities in Europe has gained the attention of social science scholars for a number of decades now. However, legal interest in this field has remained relatively underdeveloped, and few scholars have addressed emerging legal issues to any significant degree. This collection of contributions by leading writers in the field of ethnic migration and diaspora studies therefore provides some important interdisciplinary perspectives of how ethnic/diasporic minorities in British and European contexts interact with the official legal system. This volume makes a significant contribution in assessing the role of law in current debates on the integration of ethnic and religious minorities of migrant origin in the EU. The chapters derive from papers first delivered at a lecture series on 'Cultural Diversity and Law' at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. The contributors' disciplinary interests range across law, anthropology, sociology, geography and political theory, and each one addresses the issues within his or her field of study by adopting approaches that place law within its wider social and political context. The topics covered range from a number of 'public' and 'private' law issues as well as the more conceptual realms of jurisprudence. They include marriage laws, approaches to dispute resolution, the role of courts and juries in the criminal justice system, drugs policies and the criminalisation of minorities, free speech and blasphemy, planning laws and the construction of religious buildings, composition of the judiciary, the normative foundations of cultural diversity in law, and integration and law. Thecompilation should therefore attract an interest beyond its core readership in law, making legal issues accessible to a whole range of students and policy makers within the social sciences.

This Handbook draws together leading and emerging scholars to provide a comprehensive critical analysis of international refugee law. This book provides an account as well as a critique of the status quo, setting the agenda for future research in the field.

This book, the first in the series of publications on minority issues, provides a critical overview of the protection of minority groups in international law. Topics covered include: the definition of a minority, concepts of state sovereignty and self-determination; the historical context to international human rights law; the legal frameworks developed by the UN, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU; as well as examples of legal approaches adopted by individual European countries to address the protection of minorities.

Among the Significant consequences of the Cold War's end have been the rise of nations and the challenges that these nations present for global order and international law. Taking a unique approach to explore this phenomenon, Beck and Ambrosio consider three principal themes: the emergence of nations, the international legal challenges that such nations pose, and international legal efforts to accommodate nations within the global state system. Seminal works by celebrated scholars and new contributions are featured alongside focus essays and bibliographies to place the selected readings in context. Students of international law, political science, and ethnic studies will find this book valuable for its focus on an overlooked but important subject. Book jacket.