South-South Migrations and the Law from Below: Case Studies on China and Nigeria

Winner of the Hart-SLSA Book Prize 2024

This book explores the narratives and experiences of people in the Global South as they encounter the impact of international law in their lives. It looks specifically at approaches to international migrations and the law, as states in the Global South confront migration-related challenges.

Taking a case study approach, drawn from the experiences of undocumented and displaced migrants in China and Nigeria, the book shows how informal justice systems not only exist but are upheld. With an innovative analysis drawing both on intersectionality and a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), it moves away from the classic international versus regional and domestic law approach to reveal the experience of the Third World in relation to the law.

This fascinating study will appeal to international law, human rights and immigration scholars, as well as those in the field of development studies.

Oreva Olakpe is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CERC Migration and Integration, at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.