CSEAS Fall Lecture Series: Jonathan Liljeblad

Jonathan Liljeblad

College of Law

Australian National University

Title: "The Limit of Human Rights Education in Myanmar Universities: International Norms and Local Discourse"

In 2017, human rights was introduced as a subject in Myanmar universities. While unfamiliar to the topic, Myanmar university teachers received training from a range of international aid programs. Such capacity-building efforts sought to promote international human rights norms within Myanmar's local university contexts. Drawing upon field research from 2016-2021, this lecture critiques the conduct of the capacity-building efforts. The session analyzes the challenges of promoting international human rights norms in Myanmar universities, identifying the constraints that limited the activities of teachers and challenged the aspirations of international aid programs. The talk engages students in an exploration of the issues in working through the aforementioned problems and the ways forward for human rights education in post-coup conditions that are now inimical for international human rights norms. 

Register for this event: https://niu-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsdeqhrDsuE9IvhoDQK27qjpuhjAstUU0n

Jonathan Liljeblad received a PhD and JD from the University of Southern California (USC), an MS from the University of Washington (UW), and a BS from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His research largely focuses on rule-of-law, with case studies from human rights and environmental issues. His fieldwork is mostly in Myanmar. Generally, his research falls within the fields of international law, rule-of-law, human rights, environmental law, law & development, and law & society. Due to the empirical nature of his research, his work connects academia, government, and civil society; seeks interdisciplinary, transboundary, and cross-cultural collaborations; and endeavors to nurture direct impact upon policy-makers and societal leaders. He was born in Myanmar, but grew up in Sweden and the United States. He received an Endeavour Research Grant (2018) and was a Fulbright Scholar (2014-2015). He currently is working on projects supported by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Danish Institute of Human Rights (DIHR), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).