Globalisation & Law Network seminar with Dalia Palombo

Dalia began her talk by highlighting how international organisations and high-profile politicians from the Global North have consistently put economic development above the well-being of the people in the Global South. Despite the so-called ‘counter-hegemonic’ shift in the international framework addressing transnational corporations marked by the transition from corporate social responsibility to business & human rights, it still encompasses imperialist legacies. On the one hand, businesses are still passive bystanders of state actions without legally binding responsibilities. On the other hand, human rights are rooted in the state-centric paradigm of public international law. The book will first unpack the imperialism of business and the imperialism of human rights by synthesising their historical, political and legal dimensions. Having teased out the imperialist underpinnings of business & human rights, the book will offer reflections on reconceptualising it, focusing on non-Western (such as decolonial and Indigenous) approaches. In order to test the underlying hypothesis of the book, it will examine several innovative propositions, such as restructuring companies around community ownership and community law-making.

The discussion that followed Dalia’s talk concerned the complexities of rule-making in the global capitalist system, the role of multiculturalism in reshaping business & human rights, and the risks of employing alternative methodologies within the dominant human rights discourse. 

The Globalisation & Law Network is proud of its 2024-2025 seminar series and looks forward to reconvening in the next academic year!