Personal profile
Personal profile
Dr al Attar joined the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2023 as a Reader in the Department of International Studies. His previous appointments were at Warwick, Queen's (Belfast), and Auckland and he held visiting professorships at UCL and McGill. He researches and lectures in international law with a focus on theory, inequality, and colonial history. Over the past few years, he has shifted his research toward the relationship(s) between law, race, and resistance, though he persists with his preferred anti-colonial lens.
Experience
Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Warwick (2018-2023)
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Laws, UCL (2021-2023)
Dean (Interim), Faculty of Law, University of West Indies (2020-2021)
Senior Lecturer, School of Law, Queens University Belfast (2014-2017)
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University (2012-2014)
Lecturer / Senior Lecturer, School of Law, University of Auckland (2008-2012)
Awards and honours
Senior Fellow, HEA
LexisNexis Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (2013)
LLM, Stockholm University (2005)
LLM, University of Texas (Austin) (2000)
LLB, University of Ottawa (1997)
Research areas
- International Law
- Race
- Anti-Colonialism
- International Economic (Trade/Investment/Development) Law
- Inequality
- Third World Studies
Person Types
- Staff
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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From the Margins to the Centre? Evaluating the Influence of TWAIL on International Legal Scholarship and Practice
al Attar, M. (PI)
1/07/25 → 30/06/27
Project: Internal Research Project
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From the Margins to the Centre? Evaluating the Influence of TWAIL on International Legal Scholarship and Practice
al Attar, M. (PI)
1/06/25 → 1/09/27
Project: Internal Research Project
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Accountability and Politics: Measuring the practical effects of the International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants
Gong, L. (PI) & al Attar, M. (CoPI)
2/06/25 → 31/08/25
Project: Internal Research Project
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Beyond Silence: Confronting Racial Hierarchies in International Law
al Attar, M. & Smith, C., 6 Apr 2026, Emancipating International Law: Confronting the Violence of Racialized Boundaries. Oxford University Press, p. 1-16 16 p.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open Access -
Born into Domination: Third World Struggles for Dignity in International Law
al Attar, M., 1 Sept 2026, (In preparation) Oxford University Press.Research output: Book/Report/Edited volume › Book › peer-review
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Emancipating International Law: Confronting the Violence of Racialized Boundaries
al Attar, M. & Smith, C., 6 Apr 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) Oxford: Oxford University Press. 530 p.Research output: Book/Report/Edited volume › Book › peer-review
Open Access -
The Racialized Epistemology of International Law: From White Ignorance to Black Dignity
al Attar, M., 6 Apr 2026, Emancipating International Law: Confronting the Violence of Racialized Boundaries. Oxford University Press, p. 17-35 19 p.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open Access -
Epistemic Violence and International Law: Islamic Thought in the Struggle for Epistemic Equivalency
al Attar, M. & Aydogan, M. B., 2025, Decentring Global Challenges in International Relations: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Beyond the West. Malito, D. & Fanoulis, E. (eds.). 1st ed. London: RoutledgeResearch output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Activities
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Emancipating International Law
al Attar, M. (Speaker)
4 Feb 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Born into Domination: Third World Struggles for Dignity in International Law
al Attar, M. (Speaker)
8 Jan 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
File -
Decolonial Times - Crisis of European Identity
al Attar, M. (Speaker)
25 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Justice Against Law: Lessons from the Third World for the Struggles of Today
al Attar, M. (Speaker)
15 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
File -
Emancipating International Law
al Attar, M. (Speaker)
28 Aug 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
File