Launching the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law Webinar Series
As Chair of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law, I am delighted to launch the ESIL Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law Webinar Series, a new webinar series designed to create a space for critical and interdisciplinary dialogue on some of the most pressing challenges facing the rule of law today. The series will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and members of civil society to examine how law operates across local, national, regional, and global contexts, and how it can contribute to addressing contemporary issues of governance, justice, and accountability.
This initiative aligns closely with the broader strategy of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) to expand opportunities for engagement with contemporary developments in international law through innovative online formats. In particular, it complements the ESIL Conversations initiative, conceived as a series of online events through which ESIL contributes to ongoing debates on international law, as well as the ESIL Teaching Corner Webinar Series, which promotes discussion on pedagogy and teaching practices. By creating a dedicated forum within the ESIL Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law, this webinar series seeks to contribute to these wider ESIL objectives while providing sustained engagement with questions relating to the rule of law, governance, justice, and accountability from both European and international perspectives.
It is particularly fitting that we begin with a conversation on taxation, racial inequality, and historical injustice, themes that invite us to reflect on both the promises and limitations of the rule of law.
Event Description – Taxation, Racial Capitalism and International Rule of Law
The inaugural webinar, “Taxation, Racial Capitalism, and the International Rule of Law: From Colonial Slavery to Global Governance,” marks the launch of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law Webinar Series.
Through the insights offered by Anthony C. Infanti (University of Pittsburgh School of Law) and Steven A. Dean (Boston University School of Law), this inaugural event held on Wednesday July 22, 2026 – 12 :00 – 1:30 pm sets the tone for a series committed to examining difficult questions, challenging conventional assumptions, and fostering meaningful dialogue across disciplines and jurisdictions.
This ESIL Interest Group on International and European Rule of Law Conversations brings into dialogue two important recent books—The Human Toll: Taxation and Slavery in Colonial America by Anthony C. Infanti and Racial Capitalism and International Tax Law: The Story of Global Jim Crow by Steven A. Dean —to explore the complex relationship between taxation, racial inequality, and the rule of law across time and space.
The conversation will be chaired by Paolo Davide Farah (University of Tulsa College of Law), who will serve as moderator and discussant, facilitating the dialogue between the authors and situating their contributions within broader debates on the rule of law, international governance, and fiscal justice. Carliss N. Chatman (SMU Dedman School of Law) will also serve as discussant, contributing additional reflections on the contemporary implications of taxation, inequality, and legal institutions. Together, the discussion aims to foster an interdisciplinary and critical exchange on the historical legacies and present-day challenges explored in these important works.
Moving from the fiscal architectures of colonial America to the contemporary global tax order, the discussion examines how legal and fiscal systems have historically contributed to systems of domination, exclusion, and racialized inequality. Infanti’s work reveals how taxation functioned not merely as a neutral tool of governance but as an instrument that helped structure, sustain, and legitimize slavery. Dean’s analysis extends this inquiry into the international sphere, uncovering how global tax rules have been shaped by, and continue to reproduce, forms of racial capitalism and structural inequality.
By placing these perspectives in conversation, the webinar seeks to interrogate the ambivalent role of the rule of law: not only as a framework that aspires to justice and accountability, but also as a system that has, at times, facilitated exploitation and entrenched disparities. The discussion will also consider whether and how law, particularly in the context of European and international governance, can serve as a tool for redress, reform, and more equitable global fiscal arrangements.
Engaging with historical legacies and contemporary challenges, this conversation invites participants to reflect on key questions at the intersection of law, political economy, and global governance: To what extent can the rule of law confront its own complicity in past and present injustices? What lessons do these histories hold for current debates on international taxation, reparations, and fiscal justice? And how might evolving legal frameworks within the EU and beyond contribute to reshaping a more inclusive and equitable global order?
The inaugural webinar, “Taxation, Racial Capitalism, and the International Rule of Law: From Colonial Slavery to Global Governance,” will take place on Wednesday July 22, 2026, from 12:00–1:30 PM EST. Participation is free and open to all. Registration is available at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenhxQcN6nndaMpfluOGg0YZCyhriqNIrzdFqfgrISpInOkHQ/viewform?usp=dialog