Black women and international law : deliberate interactions, movements and actions

From Compton to Cairo, Bahia to Brixton, black women have been disproportionally affected by poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, discrimination and violence. Despite being one of the largest and geographically dispersed groups in the world, they are rarely referenced or considered as a subject of analysis in international law literature. Thus, it is vital that scholars refashion global discourse by re-conceptualizing international law and relations from their unique experiences and perspectives. This collection covers a broad range of topics and issues that examine the complex interactions - as subjects and objects - between black women and international law. The book critically explores the manifold relationship between them with a view toward highlighting the historic and contemporary ways in which they have influenced and been influenced by transnational law, doctrine, norms, jurisprudence, public policy, public discourse and global governance. It purports to unearth old law and fashion new paradigms born out of the experiences of black women.

Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald : a biographical note / Jeremy I. Levitt -- Reflections on my journey for justice / Gabrielle Kirk McDonald -- Part I. Leadership, human rights, and peacebuilding -- Writing black women into political leadership : reflections, trends and contradictions / Carole Boyce-Davies -- International human rights and black women : justice or just us? / Adrien Katherine Wing -- African women and the gender equality regime in Africa : from patriarchy to parity / Fatou Kiné Camara -- Law, peace-construction and women's rights in Africa : who will safeguard Abeena and Afia? / Jeremy I. Levitt -- African women leaders and the advancement of peacebuilding in international law / Anna Spain -- Part II. Black women's movements -- African-American women on the world stage : the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing / Linda Sheryl Greene -- African descendant women and the global reparations movement / Adjoa A. Aiyetoro -- The challenge of climate change and the contribution of African women to engendering international environmental law / Erika George -- Part III. Feminine sovereignty -- Black women and the development of international reproductive health norms / Judith A.M. Scully -- Guest work as sex work : some preliminary thoughts on Margaret Radin and black women selling sex across borders / Eleanor Marie Lawrence Brown -- Black female "things" in international law : a meditation on Saartjie Baartman and Truganini / Karen E. Bravo.