Prof Catherine O’Rourke joins Dublin City University with €2 million European Research Council award
Prof O’Rourke’s five year research programme will examine the inadequacies of existing international law in capturing gendered experiences of harm. It challenges the focus on the individualised and episodic experiences of (gender) harm and opens-up and reorients international law scholarship away from its harm focus towards the considerable though as yet unexploited resources of a focus on care.
By drawing on theoretical and methodological resources of feminist care theorisation this project will explore what international law would look like if care were at its centre, offering new ways to understand the core principles, institutions and processes of international law.
Prof O’Rourke brings a global reputation in gender, conflict and international law to DCU. In 2020 she became Director of the Institute for Transitional Justice at Ulster University, where she was a Senior Lecturer in Human Rights and International Law. She then moved to Durham University where she was Professor of Global Law. Prof O’Rourke secured the ERC award while at Durham University.
Her recent publications include Women's Rights in Armed Conflict under International Law, (Cambridge University Press) and articles in the International Journal of Constitutional Law, The International Review of the Red Cross and Human Rights Quarterly.
Vice President for Research in DCU Prof John Doyle said:
“European Research Council awards are among the most prestigious and competitive in international research. They are a marker of excellence in research at the highest level in a global context. In the past two years DCU has increased its research income by over 50% - providing a strong basis for attracting ERC awardees of the calibre of Professor Catherine O’Rourke to DCU.”
Head of DCU’s School of Law and Government Dr Tanya Ni Mhuirthile said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Professor Catherine O’Rourke to DCU. Her pioneering research on care and international law will enrich our scholarly community, spark interdisciplinary collaborations, and inspire new conversations, both within the School and across the wider university. Her presence marks a significant moment for legal and global scholarship at DCU.”
Prof Catherine O’Rourke said:
“At a time when the international system is under unprecedented challenge, I’m delighted to be able to bring this project that aims to rethink international law to the outstanding, vibrant and engaged scholarly community at DCU.”