Melland Schill Lecture Series
As part of our research, we have revived the prestigious Melland Schill Lectures, a historical series of public lectures dealing with international law.
Distinguished lecturers will deliver a single public lecture and the text of the lecture, and any multimedia material, will be made available on the MILC website shortly afterwards.
The new series
On 14 October 2014, John Dugard delivered the first Melland Schill lecture since 1974. His lecture entitled “Are existing states sacrosanct?" attracted a large audience from all over the North West of England as well as many colleagues from partner universities.
John Dugard, an ad hoc Judge at the International Court of Justice, an emeritus Professor of the University of Leiden and a distinguished scholar, spoke about the deficiency and unfairness of the current rules pertaining to statehood and the birth of states in international law. He particularly took issue with the principles of territorial integrity and uti possidetis, also calling international lawyers to take the criteria found in the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States more seriously. His lecture was followed by a lively discussion on the ability of international law to provide guidance on the birth of new states.
Melland Schill lecture Series
2024: Arnulf Becker Lorca, ‘Withdrawing from the United Nations?: Reimagining International Law’ (12 November 2024
2023: Horatia Muir Watts, ‘Alterity On Trial: How Does Law (Modern, Western) Deal with Alterity?’ (15 May 2023)
2022: Martti Koskenniemi, ‘Legal Imagination and the History of International Power’ (8 April 2022)
2018: Jan Klabbers, ‘On Universalism and Epistemic Universalism’ (as part of the 2018 ESIL Annual Conference hosted by the University of Manchester) (14 September 2018)
2017: Sir Michael Wood, ‘Immunity of State Officials’ (22 November 2017)
2016: Michael Woods, ‘Remarks on the Importance of 'Teachings' in International Law, with Particular Reference to the Melland Schill Lecture Series’ (1 February 2016)
2016: Judge Xue Hanqin, ‘Cultural Element in International Law’ (5 May 2016)
2014: John Dugard, ‘Are Existing States Sacrosanct’ (15 October 2014)