LCP4801 Assignment 2
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
Semester 2 2025 - DUE
September 2025
For assistance contact
Email:
, The Role and Relevance of the TWAIL Movement in the Decolonisation of International
Law
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What does the Acronym TWAIL Represent?
3. Historical Inequalities in Global Governance Giving Rise to TWAIL
4. How TWAIL Challenges Dominant Western-Centric Legal Norms and Institutions
5. Key Objectives of TWAIL Scholars
6. TWAIL's Contribution to Reshaping International Legal Discourse
7. Conclusion
8. List of References
1. Introduction
The decolonisation of international law is a critical contemporary discourse that seeks to address
the enduring legacies of colonialism within the global legal order. At the forefront of this
intellectual and political project is the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL)
movement. TWAIL scholars critically examine how international law, historically shaped by
Western powers, has perpetuated and continues to perpetuate inequalities, marginalisation, and
injustices against formerly colonised societies. This memo will explore the role and relevance of
the TWAIL movement, explaining its acronym, describing the historical inequalities that gave
rise to it, analysing how it challenges dominant Western-centric legal norms, identifying its key
objectives, and demonstrating its contribution to reshaping international legal discourse from the
perspective of the Global South.
2. What does the Acronym TWAIL Represent?
The acronym TWAIL stands for Third World Approaches to International Law. It is a broad
and diverse intellectual movement comprising scholars, practitioners, and activists primarily
from or concerned with the experiences of countries in the Global South (often referred to as the
"Third World" in its historical context, signifying countries that were formerly colonised or are
still developing). The term "Third World" in TWAIL is not merely a geographical or economic
descriptor but rather a political and historical concept that denotes a shared experience of
colonialism, exploitation, and marginalisation within the international system.
3. Historical Inequalities in Global Governance Giving Rise to TWAIL
The TWAIL movement emerged as a direct response to the profound historical inequalities
embedded within the structure and operation of international law and global governance. These
inequalities are deeply rooted in the era of colonialism and its aftermath:
(COMPLETE ANSWERS)
Semester 2 2025 - DUE
September 2025
For assistance contact
Email:
, The Role and Relevance of the TWAIL Movement in the Decolonisation of International
Law
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What does the Acronym TWAIL Represent?
3. Historical Inequalities in Global Governance Giving Rise to TWAIL
4. How TWAIL Challenges Dominant Western-Centric Legal Norms and Institutions
5. Key Objectives of TWAIL Scholars
6. TWAIL's Contribution to Reshaping International Legal Discourse
7. Conclusion
8. List of References
1. Introduction
The decolonisation of international law is a critical contemporary discourse that seeks to address
the enduring legacies of colonialism within the global legal order. At the forefront of this
intellectual and political project is the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL)
movement. TWAIL scholars critically examine how international law, historically shaped by
Western powers, has perpetuated and continues to perpetuate inequalities, marginalisation, and
injustices against formerly colonised societies. This memo will explore the role and relevance of
the TWAIL movement, explaining its acronym, describing the historical inequalities that gave
rise to it, analysing how it challenges dominant Western-centric legal norms, identifying its key
objectives, and demonstrating its contribution to reshaping international legal discourse from the
perspective of the Global South.
2. What does the Acronym TWAIL Represent?
The acronym TWAIL stands for Third World Approaches to International Law. It is a broad
and diverse intellectual movement comprising scholars, practitioners, and activists primarily
from or concerned with the experiences of countries in the Global South (often referred to as the
"Third World" in its historical context, signifying countries that were formerly colonised or are
still developing). The term "Third World" in TWAIL is not merely a geographical or economic
descriptor but rather a political and historical concept that denotes a shared experience of
colonialism, exploitation, and marginalisation within the international system.
3. Historical Inequalities in Global Governance Giving Rise to TWAIL
The TWAIL movement emerged as a direct response to the profound historical inequalities
embedded within the structure and operation of international law and global governance. These
inequalities are deeply rooted in the era of colonialism and its aftermath:
