The South Asian Studies Program (an International Programs affinity group) and the UI Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences invite you to "Making the State, Making Agricultural Subjects: International Law and Transnational Governmentality in India," a talk by Dr. Ali Malik, on Friday, March 3, from 1 - 2:30 p.m., in 1117 University Capitol Centre.
Neoliberal restructuring across various scales enabled India to selectively incorporate itself into the global knowledge economy through its engagement with international law in the 1990s. In considering how “making and remaking the state is a project of international law,” Dr. Malik asks how international law contributed to the restructuring of the Indian state and agriculture. Malik argues that the transformation of the state was the sum of the work of global institutions and the disciplinary power of international law within a broader project of transnational governmentality.
“Dr. Malik is an exciting early career scholar using interdisciplinary frameworks to understand complex socio-legal processes of agrarian change in India,” said Carly Nichols, assistant professor in the UI Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences. “Anyone interested in the potentials and pitfalls for sustainable agrarian futures in India will find Dr. Malik’s work critically important.”
Dr. Ali Malik earned a PhD in socio-legal studies at York University in 2022, and a MA in international human rights law from the American University in Cairo. He has published in the Journal of Peasant Studies, UC Irvine Law Review, and various edited volumes. He has presented his research at a range of institutions, such as the National University of Singapore, Harvard Law School, SOAS-London, and Columbia University. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological influences rooted in anthropology and geography, postcolonial studies, and critical legal studies, his dissertation titled Conjunctures in Law & Development: Exploring Three Agricultural Futures in India explored the historical and legal intersections of law, agriculture, technology, and development in India.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk at daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu, 319-467-1619.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.