Cinema for those passionate about international law
Post #1: An Introduction
A curious thing happened during the pandemic. A community of people passionate about international law (IL) found one another on Twitter, and a new global network began to grow, connecting those who study, teach, and practice IL around the world. Practitioners, faculty, and students joined together to ask questions, posit theories, and challenge one another in lively Twitter threads. For those feeling isolated, these conversations became critical connections to others in the field of international law.
Developments at international courts and international organizations have been and remain the main topics on IL Twitter. But other, more informal, topics have emerged over time: pets, families, health, etc. As our homes became our workplaces, ‘professional communication’ became less restrictive—perhaps because we were all often dressed in pajamas—and something wonderful happened as a result.
Those who study, practice, and teach international law can seem formal and intimidating, even to each other. But when this formality is relaxed, even slightly, IL practitioners, faculty, and students can become quite funny and approachable. The (usually) friendly atmosphere of Twitter has encouraged multiple and evolving discussions about international law themes in film, music, literature, and other arts. These lively exchanges demonstrate that using popular culture mediums—such as science fiction or music videos or comics—as teaching tools can make international law a more dynamic and accessible subject.
The purpose of this blog, Siren Songs, is to create another online space for the IL community members to talk about their favorite creative and cultural ‘distractions’ as well as other topics. Our hope is that we can provide relevant as well as alluring content to IL practitioners, faculty, and students. Stay tuned! If there is an IL and arts-related topic that you are passionate about, please email our administrator Rachel Jones at rachel.jones@nyu.edu.