The 2009 Wednesday Lectures

Faculty of Theology and Philosophy

School of Philosophy

Gaza: Morality, Law and Politics

Gerry Simpson - "Death in Gaza"

10 June

Gerry Simpson holds a Chair of Law at the University of Melbourne, and is a Professor of Public International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of Great Powers and Outlaw States (Winner of the American Society of International Law’s Certificate of Merit in 2005) and Law, War and Crime: War Crimes Trials and the Reinvention of International Law. His current project examines literary and legal approaches to war.

(To watch a recording of this lecture please click here) 

Mark Baker - "The Jewish State on Trial"

17 June

Mark Baker is Director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University and Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the School of Historical Studies. He is author of the award winning book, The Fiftieth Gate and is a regular columnist on Jewish affairs in the media.

(A video stream of this lecture is available from the Slow TV website.)

Hilary Charlesworth - "Women and War"

24 June

Hilary Charlesworth is an ARC Federation Fellow, Professor in RegNet and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Justice, ANU. She also holds an appointment as Professor of International Law and Human Rights in the ANU College of Law. She is widely published and in 2006 was winner (with Christine Chinkin) of the Goler T. Butcher Medal awarded by the American Society of International Law for "Outstanding contributions to the development of international human rights law."

(To watch a recording of this lecture please click here)

Raimond Gaita - "Gaza: Morality, Law & Politics"

1 July

Raimond Gaita is Foundation Professor of Philosophy at ACU National and Professor of Moral Philosophy at King's College London. He is perhaps best known to the general reader as the author of the prize-winning memoir, Romulus, My Father. His other books include, Good and Evil: An Absolute Conception, A Common Humanity: Thinking About Love & Truth & Justice, The Philosopher's Dog, and Breach of Trust: Truth, Morality and Politics.

(A video stream of this lecture is available from the Slow TV website.)

Ghassan Hage - "On Narcissistic Victimhood"

8 July

Ghassan Hage is the Future Generation Professor of Anthropology and Social Theory at the University of Melbourne. He has published widely on the comparative anthropology of nationalism, multiculturalism, racism and migration. He is currently working on the experience and circulation of political emotions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict among Muslim immigrants in the Western world. He is also working on ‘The Politics of Negotiation' as a critical way of re-conceiving inter-cultural relations.

(A video stream of this lecture is available from the Slow TV website.)

Geoffrey Braham Levey - "Gaza & Catastrophe Theory"

15 July

Geoffrey Brahm Levey teaches political theory at the University of New South Wales. He was founding director of the Program in Jewish Studies from 1996 to 2005. He is editor of Political Theory and Australian Multiculturalism and is co-editor (with Philip Mendes) of Jews and Australian Politics and (with Tariq Modood) Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship.

(To watch a recording of this lecture please click here)

Panel Discussion - Mark Baker, Raimond Gaita, Ghassan Hage, Robert Manne & Gerry Simpson -22 July

Listen to The 2009 Wednesday Lectures Panel Discussion on Gaza -

This program is now available for download from the Encounter website.