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Summary
Yacoub, Natasha, ‘Feminist Approaches to Recenter Humanity in International Migration Law’, in J. Jarpa Dawuni, and others (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Women and International Law, Oxford Handbooks (2026).
Abstract
The constellation of international laws regulating migration, including forced migration, ought to prioritize considerations of humanity, balancing the state’s sovereign right to control its territory against laws the needs of migrant women. Feminist scholarship of international migration law shows that many women’s experiences of migration are ignored or minimized. Laws designed to protect women instead create and perpetuate inequality on account of gender and related factors for exclusion, including race and sexuality. This chapter argues that feminist scholarship has made important advances for women but remains a ‘decorative frill’* on the edge of international migration laws that at their foundation perpetuate gendered and racialized exclusion, subordination, and violence. It highlights the example, among a kaleidoscope of feminist approaches, of ethics of care and listening in international relations scholarship to re-think state sovereignty, migrant categories and international cooperation.
