Emeritus Professor Antony Anghie at the European University Institute’s conferring ceremony. Image: National University of Singapore Faculty of Law.
A distinguished Sri Lankan-Australian scholar whose work has influenced generations of international-law academics has received one of Europe’s notable academic honours, with Emeritus Professor Antony Anghie being awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law by the European University Institute (EUI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international law.
The honorary degree was formally conferred by EUI President Professor Patrizia Nanz during the Institute’s 2026 conferring ceremonies in Florence, where Professor Anghie was recognised alongside leading scholars from other fields. The occasion represented an important acknowledgement of a career that has extended well beyond the production of influential legal scholarship, encompassing mentorship, institution-building and the creation of a more inclusive international academic community.
For Sri Lankans in Australia and around the world, Professor Anghie’s achievement carries particular significance. His professional journey, which began with legal practice in Melbourne and developed through leading universities and research institutions across several continents, reflects the contribution that Sri Lankan-Australian professionals continue to make to global education, research and public life.
A major contribution to international law
Professor Anghie is widely recognised as a founding figure of Third World Approaches to International Law, commonly known as TWAIL. Although the term may appear specialised, its central purpose can be explained simply: TWAIL encourages scholars to examine international law not only through the experiences of powerful states and established institutions, but also through the histories and perspectives of countries and communities in the Global South.
His scholarship has encouraged deeper consideration of how international law developed, whose interests were prioritised during its formation and how historical relationships continue to influence the modern global legal order. Rather than treating legal principles as detached from history, Professor Anghie’s work has shown that the development of international law must also be understood through the colonial encounters that shaped relations between states and peoples.
His influential 2005 book, Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law, examined the historical relationship between imperialism, sovereignty and the creation of international legal rules. In accessible terms, the book questioned the assumption that sovereignty simply existed before international law, arguing instead that legal systems played an important role in defining and constructing sovereignty during the colonial era.
This approach helped open new avenues for research and encouraged scholars to consider international law as a discipline shaped by history, power and competing experiences. The result has been a richer and more questioning field of study, in which the contribution of the Global South is given greater prominence.
Professor Antony Anghie’s honorary doctorate was formally conferred by EUI President Professor Patrizia Nanz. Image: National University of Singapore Faculty of Law.
Recognition of scholarship and character
The EUI recognition celebrated Professor Anghie’s intellectual contribution, but remarks made during the ceremony also highlighted the personal qualities that have distinguished his career.
Professor Sarah Nouwen, Professor of Public International Law at the EUI, and Professor Arnulf Becker Lorca, Chair in Public International Law at the EUI, described Professor Anghie as a scholar whose humility had remained evident despite the many professorships and honours he had received.
Their comments emphasised that Professor Anghie’s influence cannot be measured only by his publications or academic appointments. He has also been a mentor, friend and source of inspiration to scholars across the world, helping students and colleagues to develop their own ideas while strengthening the relationships that sustain international academic life.
Professor Nouwen observed that his contribution extended beyond profound research and intellectual ability, because he had also helped to build a movement. This is a particularly important distinction: a scholar may advance knowledge through individual work, but a true academic leader also creates opportunities for others, encourages constructive debate and helps establish a community in which new generations can participate.
Professor Becker Lorca and Professor Nouwen further noted that TWAIL had brought greater attention to perspectives from the Global South and had enriched international-law scholarship more broadly. Its influence has extended across regions, encouraging research by academics in both the Global South and the Global North.
In this respect, Professor Anghie’s legacy is both scholarly and human. His work has challenged established assumptions, while his generosity as a teacher and colleague has helped ensure that critical thinking remains connected to friendship, mentorship and cooperation.
From left: Professor Arnulf Becker Lorca, Emeritus Professor Antony Anghie, Professor Patrizia Nanz, and Professor Sarah Nouwen. Image: National University of Singapore Faculty of Law.
From Melbourne to the international academy
Professor Antony Anghie’s biography reflects a substantial international academic career grounded in legal training and professional experience in Australia.
He qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and practised law in Melbourne before beginning graduate studies at Harvard Law School. At Harvard, he earned a Doctor of Juridical Science, or S.J.D., a highly advanced research degree in law, and was appointed as a Senior Fellow in the Graduate Programme.
He subsequently taught at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where he served as the Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law. His academic career has also included his work at the National University of Singapore, where he is an Emeritus Professor, as well as visiting appointments at institutions including the American University in Cairo, Cornell Law School, the London School of Economics, Harvard Law School and the University of Brasília.
Professor Anghie has contributed to the development of international legal scholarship through professional organisations as well. He has served in various capacities on the governing bodies of the Asian Society of International Law since its foundation and was a principal organiser of the Society’s biennial conference in Beijing in 2011. In 2010, he delivered the Grotius Lecture at the annual meeting of the American Society of International Law, an honour that reflects his standing in the field.
More recently, he served as the Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professor of Legal Science at the University of Cambridge during 2024–2025.
His previous honours include the prestigious Manley O. Hudson Medal, awarded by the American Society of International Law in 2023 for outstanding contribution to scholarship and achievement in international law. In 2026, he also received the International Law Career Achievement Award from the Association of American Law Schools.
The honorary doctorate from the EUI therefore forms part of a distinguished record of recognition, while also affirming the continuing importance of his ideas and his approach to academic service.
An achievement of lasting significance
Professor Anghie’s recognition by the European University Institute is a proud moment for his family, colleagues, students and the wider Sri Lankan-Australian community. It also provides a valuable reminder that achievement is often built through a combination of rigorous preparation, sustained service and a willingness to create opportunities for others.
His journey from legal practice in Melbourne to the foremost institutions of international legal education demonstrates the breadth of contribution possible when professional expertise is combined with intellectual curiosity and a strong commitment to mentorship.
The honour also reinforces the value of scholarship that listens carefully to different histories and experiences. By encouraging a more complete examination of international law, Professor Anghie has helped broaden the conversation and ensure that the field is more attentive to the perspectives of people and countries whose voices were once too often overlooked.
For students and young professionals of Sri Lankan heritage, his career offers an instructive example of international success achieved without losing sight of humility, collegiality and service. His work has reached universities across the world, but its influence is also visible in the people he has encouraged, the communities he has helped build and the generations of scholars who continue to engage with the questions he raised.
eLanka extends its warm congratulations to Emeritus Professor Antony Anghie on this exceptional honour. His achievement is a source of pride for Sri Lankans in Australia and globally, and his enduring contribution continues to enrich international education and scholarship.
Professor Antony Anghie’s distinguished career in legal scholarship has been shaped by a combination of Australian professional practice, advanced research at leading institutions and long-standing service to the international academic community. He is an Emeritus Professor and is widely regarded as one of the most influential contemporary scholars in the field of public international law and its historical development.
He qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and practised law in Melbourne, Australia, before pursuing further academic study at Harvard Law School. There, an S.J.D. was earned and he also served as a Senior Fellow in the Graduate Programme, adding an important research and mentoring dimension to his early academic formation.
His teaching and scholarly appointments have spanned several respected institutions. At the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney School of Law, he served as the Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law, while his wider international academic engagement has included visiting professorships at the American University Cairo, Cornell Law School, the London School of Economics, Harvard Law School and the University of Brasilia. These appointments reflect both the breadth of his expertise and the continuing international demand for his perspective on law, history and global governance.
Professor Anghie has also played an instrumental role in professional and scholarly organisations. He has served in governing capacities with the Asian Society of International Law and helped organise its 2011 biennial conference in Beijing, contributing to the strengthening of international-law scholarship across Asia and beyond. In 2010, he delivered the Grotius Lecture at the annual meeting of the American Society of International Law, a notable distinction that underscored the regard in which his work is held by the wider legal academy.
His formal educational record includes an SJD from Harvard University, together with an LLB (Hons) and a BA (Hons) from Monash University. His listed teaching and research areas include Public International Law, International Economic Law, History and Theory of International Law, and Third World Approaches to International Law, all of which have been central to his contribution to a more historically grounded and globally attentive understanding of legal systems.
Source: https://law.nus.edu.sg
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