Staff Profile
Dr George Forji Amin
Senior Lecturer in Law and Course Lead
Before joining York St John University, I served as Lecturer in Law and Programme Lead at the University of Greater Manchester. I have also taught at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Helsinki. I earned my LLM, MPhil, and PhD in Public International Law at the University of Helsinki (Finland), and earlier obtained a Postgraduate Diploma (Maîtrise en Droit) with specialisation in Common Law, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (Licence en Droit) from the University of Dschang (Cameroon).
My research focuses on Public International Law, International Economic Law, Political Economy, Legal and Economic History, Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), and African Studies. My most recent book is International Law and the History of Resource Extraction in Africa.
- School – York Business School
- Email – g.forjiamin@yorksj.ac.uk
Further information
Teaching
I have experience teaching a wide range of law modules, including Medical Law, International Trade Law, Commercial Law and Practice, Law of Contract, Human Rights, Public International Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts, and Environmental Law, among others.
I am also actively accepting PhD applications in these and related areas of law, particularly where they intersect with my research interests in international law, human rights, sustainability, and legal history.
Research
My research engages with critical approaches to international law, including Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), with a particular focus on Africa’s position and experiences within international society and the international legal order. I examine themes such as the legacies of colonialism, the role and politics of the International Criminal Court, and the intersections between global poverty, human rights, law, and capitalism.
I am also interested in the relationship between international law and international politics, as well as broader questions of international human rights. In addition, my work explores legal and economic history, situating contemporary legal issues within their historical and political-economic contexts. I have published extensively across most of these areas.
Professional activities
I am actively engaged in a wide range of professional networks and research communities that enrich and complement my academic work. In 2023, I was among the founding members of the Centre for Law and Sustainability (CLS) at Greater Manchester, and I am also a member of the Centre for Law and Empowerment (CLE). I hold affiliations with the Manchester International Law Centre (MILC) and the Manchester Law Society at the University of Manchester.
Internationally, I am a member of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and the Helsinki Inequality Initiative (INEQ), and maintain long-standing links with the African Society of International Law, the Finnish Development Research Network, and the Harvard Law School Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP) alumni community.
I am further involved with the History and the Law research group, the American Society of International Law, and the Nordic Environmental Law, Governance and Science Network (NELN+). Together, these affiliations provide valuable platforms for collaboration and advancing my research on international law, sustainability, inequality, and global justice.
Publications
Download a full list of my publications:
