Buddhists, Politics and International Law

Authors

  • Benjamin Schonthal University of Otago

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/bsrv.43214

Keywords:

International law, Buddhism, law, United Nations, human rights

Abstract

To date, international law has not featured prominently in academic analyses of Buddhism. Especially absent from this small body of literature are real-life examples of Buddhist monks and laity turning to international law to resolve grievances or protect Buddhism against perceived threats to it. This article seeks to fill this void. Drawing on interview and archival sources from Sri Lanka and the United Nations, it analyzes how one particular monk from Colombo became a key agent in the interpretation and transformation of international law. By so doing, this article complements existing scholarship concerning Buddhism’s philosophical or conceptual sympathies with international legal principles and provides further empirical ballast for understanding how, when and why Buddhists turn to international law.

Author Biography

  • Benjamin Schonthal, University of Otago

    Benjamin Schonthal is Professor of Buddhist Studies and co-director of the Centre for Law and Society at the University of Otago, in New Zealand. Ben’s work examines the interactions of religion, law and politics in Southern Asia. He is the author of Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of the Law (Cambridge University Press, 2016) and a variety of articles and chapters on topics such as Buddhist law, comparative constitutional law and the state regulation of religion.

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Published

2021-07-28

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Schonthal, B. (2021). Buddhists, Politics and International Law. Buddhist Studies Review, 38(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsrv.43214