Disrupting Civility: Amateur Intellectuals, International Lawyers and TWAIL as Praxis

21 Pages Posted: 7 Jul 2020 Last revised: 13 Oct 2020

See all articles by John Reynolds

John Reynolds

National University of Ireland, Maynooth

Date Written: September 17, 2016

Abstract

This paper is a reflection on the role of intellectuals in engaging with Palestinian solidarity movements and liberation discourses, and on the place of international lawyers specifically within that context. The paper considers 'the question of Palestine' as a rigorous test for intellectuals in the Global North today, and examines particular debates over free speech, civility and balance that unfolded in the wake of Israel's 2014 war on Gaza. It considers the interventions of international lawyers in these debates with reference to Edward Said's 'amateur' and 'professional' intellectuals, and explores ways in which anti-colonial international lawyers (as amateur intellectuals) can transcend prevailing professional orthodoxies to deploy language, arguments or tactics that rupture liberal legal processes and narratives on Palestine.

Keywords: International Law, Palestine, Israel, Edward Said, Third World Approaches to International Law, TWAIL, praxis, civility

JEL Classification: K33

Suggested Citation

Reynolds, John, Disrupting Civility: Amateur Intellectuals, International Lawyers and TWAIL as Praxis (September 17, 2016). (2016) 37:11 Third World Quarterly 2098-2118, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2853681

John Reynolds (Contact Author)

National University of Ireland, Maynooth ( email )

Maynooth, County Kildare
Ireland

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