SUMMARY

GSN created a safe, inclusive, interdisciplinary, and diverse forum for academic and actors outside academia to discuss issues of the Global South without any fear of judgement. It massively promoted internationalisation, enhanced sense of belongingness of staff and student from, or working on, the Global South, developed people’s understanding of complex interdisciplinary ideas and theories, introduced a new trend in decolonisation of knowledge, advanced the field of judicial independence, African studies, transitional democracies, and the Global South through publications, excellently contributed to knowledge exchange and sharing good practices between academics and non-academic audience, and bridged a gap between the perspectives of the Global South and the Global North.

INTERNATIONALISATION

Convener GSN Dr Nauman Reayat massively promoted internationalisation by bringing together staff, students, CSOs, journalists, and judges from 13 different countries during the launch event of the GSN on 17 March 2022 (funded under ESRC Impact Acceleration Account 2019: Leicester (ES/T501967/1) ). Staff and PhD students from 15 law schools of seven different countries are contributing to ongoing edited collection on judicial independence by GSN conveners. 9 scholars and 2 judges of constitutional courts from 10 different countries participated in the hybrid international conference that Dr Reayat organised and conducted on 22 March 2023 (also funded under ESRC Impact Acceleration Account 2019: Leicester (ES/T501967/1). Students and staff from 21 universities of 8 different countries participated in PhD in progress international seminar series (phase 1) that Dr Reayat ran from 17 May 2023 till 23 August.  5 judges of constitutional courts of five different countries delivered their talks during the guest lecture series that Dr Reayat ran. In this regard, feedback received on PhD in progress international seminar series  is as follows:

“A range of speakers from a wide range of countries which most series does not have”

PROMOTING SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS

English is not the native language of most of GSN members and participants in GSN activities. GSN members and participants of its activities largely share non-Western conscience and experiences of unstable political regimes, limited academic, social, and political freedom, weak economies, and/or deteriorating law and order situation. Convener GSN Dr Reayat organised activities that enhanced sense of belongingness of staff and student from, or working on, the Global South, by providing them with an equal opportunity to lead and manage activities on their own terms. These activities encouraged them to share their knowledge without any fear of judgment which was important for their academic freedom and wellbeing.  Feedback in this regard is as follows:

“A great opportunity for PhD students to present their work (this often is not the case)”

INTERDISCIPLINARITY

The activities that Convener GSN Dr Reayat organised were highly interdisciplinary. 10 out of 16 topics presented during the PhD in progress seminar series included but were not limited to sexual violence, health law, and legal history. Topics presented during guest lecture series included but were not limited to online courts, Universal declaration of Human Rights, and challenges of courts in developing democracies. These activities enhanced engagement of staff and students from different backgrounds.

 Dr Reayat collected feedback from participants after every activity. Two questions among others that were asked in the feedback form were: a) Was the composition of panel interdisciplinary?; b)Were the discussions interdisciplinary? 98% of the respondents answered “yes”. Feedback in this regard is as follows:

“Yes, the scope and breadth of the discussions, and the fact the series was online, allowed the speakers to cover a wide range of areas”

NEW TREND IN DECOLONISATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Convener GSN Dr Nauman Reayat introduced a new trend in decolonisation of knowledge by transferring the ownership of the process of knowledge production on the issues of the Global South to those to whom it originally belongs: academics and non-academic groups of the Global South. This new trend was introduced by providing different groups (scholars, judges, and PhD students) with an opportunity to define and explain issues of the Global South on their own terms. The launch event of GSN brought together scholars, students, judges, and CSOs from 15 countries of the Global South. 12 out of 16 presenters during the PhD in progress seminar were from the Global South. The projects they presented during the PhD in progress seminar series focused socio-legal, politico-legal, or socio-political developments in 18 jurisdictions of the Global South. 5 guest lectures delivered during the guest lecture series focused five different countries of the Global South. In this regard, the feedback received from participants of PhD in progress seminar series is as follows:

“These seminars are decolonising knowledge about the Global South: they directly support and encourage research on previously ignored or marginalised groups, societies, and places; they flourish because of the diversity of the membership, bringing together different academic traditions, approaches, and specialisms, breaking down what some may see as a western discipline-based academic orthodoxy” 

“A definite aim to try and decolonise knowledge production in the UK academy …Definitely there is decolonisation happening in the ways in which certain (suppressed) forms of knowledge are now being focused upon in the discussions and events.”

DEVELOPED PEOPLE’S UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX INTERDISCIPLINARY ISSUES

 The activities organised by Convener GSN Dr Nauman Reayat developed people’s understanding of complex interdisciplinary ideas and theories by exposing them to knowledge of Global South jurisdictions that are not paid adequate attention in mainstream academia of the Global North. In this regard, feedback on PhD in Progress seminar series is as follows:

“The seminar’s discussion of disseminating knowledge through the Global South Network’s diverse perspectives and experiences gave me a complete understanding of this topic. For example, the defamation law practice in my country is comparable to what is occurring in Brazil. The in-depth understanding of the decolonization of knowledge, which I lacked, captivated me. This example demonstrates that the decolonization of knowledge in the countries of the Global South is a challenge for academics from these nations. Consequently, it was of great assistance to my ongoing work and my dissertation, which in chapters two and three discusses the colonial origins of the migrant worker legislation and how the post-colonial legislation regarding Indonesian migrant workers was formulated.”

“I learned a great deal from the presentations which I attended. A lot of discussions (healthcare law in India, criminal law in Indonesia, constitutional law in Southern Africa) were on areas I knew little about“

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Convener GSN Dr Nauman Reayat included academics (of different career levels), judges, journalists, and lawyers of different age, ethnicity, gender, nationalities  and civil society organisations in various activities that he organised for GSN. Students and staff of different career levels and gender from 8 disciplines, 21 universities, 8 countries participated in the PhD in progress seminar series discussed above. In this regard, feedback is as follows:

“The diversity is also great – with different regions and interests represented, as well as people from all levels of academic qualification”

Different scholars from different ethnic, gender, and career backgrounds chaired and acted as discussant during different seminars of the PhD in progress seminar series that the Convener GSN Dr Nauman Reayat organised. Similarly, PhD from minority backgrounds received equal opportunity to present their interdisciplinary projects on countries that are not given adequate attention in mainstream academia of the Global North. This gave them genuine sense of belongingness. GSN activities emphasised that the issues of the Global South are equally important.