Events and Announcements: 18 February 2024

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Events

MINERVA Law Online Event: Harnack Principle in Gender Trouble—Women in the Max Planck Society: 22 March 2024, 14:00 CET. In this talk, Birgit Kolboske discusses her book Hierarchien. Das Unbehagen der Geschlechter mit dem Harnack-Prinzip, which will be published this autumn in English as Hierarchies: The Max Planck Society in Gender Trouble. Contrary to common belief, organizational structure is never gender neutral, and the Max Planck Society, one of the world’s most successful research institutions, is an organization whose employment structure and work culture featured a clear gender segregation. This is exemplified and impressively illuminated by two areas: the first is where only very few women were admitted to leading positions, namely science; and the second is where most of them worked most of the time, namely the office. The study analyses the obstacles women had to face over the first fifty years since the Max Planck Society was founded in 1948, and it discusses the changes that have been fought for, negotiated and achieved since.

Birgit Kolboske is a research scholar at the MPI for the History of Science in Berlin. Following a degree in Latin American studies and linguistics at the FU Berlin, she worked for many years as a journalist, translator, and editor in Mexico and New York. From 2014 to 2023, she coordinated the research program on the History of the Max Planck Society (GMPG) as well as its edition. In her current research project—»Apocalypse Frau?«—Birgit explores the dramatic backlash women face at the beginning of the twenty-first century manifested in reactionary stereotypes, misogyny, and the blatant curtailment of their rights by mapping and comparing sexual violence and abortion rights globally.

Ukraine Beyond Aggression: Legal Responses to Russia’s Invasion in 2022 and its Consequences: On 21 February 2024; 14:00 – 17:30 (GMT), the Human Rights Law Centre and the Nottingham Centre for International Law and Security will host a conference showcasing a broad range of research related to Russia’s war against Ukraine examined within the framework of international law. As we approach the two-year mark since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this event presents an opportune moment for critical reflection on the role and efficacy of international law in addressing this conflict. A keynote address will be given by Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ukraine, followed by a presentation from Maksym Demydenko of the Ukraine War Archive. There will also be presentations from a range of speakers on various topics related to the conflict, including its historical roots, the ongoing refugee crisis, purported justifications for the war, civilian harm and international humanitarian law, international responses to the conflict, accountability efforts, legal responsibility, and more.
The event will be held in person and online. Full details and free registration are available here.

Joining in Wars: It is becoming increasingly common for states to support other states in armed conflict. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, has prompted concerns around wider third-party involvement. Actors involved in conflict rely on the provision of military, financial, and intelligence assistance from other states, international organizations, and non-state actors. This raises the important question of when and under what circumstances states and armed groups providing assistance during armed conflicts become party to that conflict. Being party to an armed conflict raises significant legal and political implications. It is therefore crucial to identify when providing assistance crosses the line into co-party status, so that actors can be aware of their ensuing obligations.

This discussion explores when the provision of military assistance can make an actor party to an armed conflict, and the political and legal implications of this status. This event will be hosted on 6^th March 2024 – 5:00pm to 6:30pm GMT at Chatham House and online. To register your attendance, please email gcole@chathamhouse.org. Kindly advise whether you will be attending in person or virtually.