About

CriticalLaw.eu is an open-access platform which aims to make critical approaches to law approachable, integrated and effective within undergraduate education. The project responds to a common challenge: students often find critical legal research too advanced or inaccessible, while teachers lack coherent, adaptable materials and a supportive network. CriticalLaw.eu addresses this by offering resources that are comprehensive, concise, and accessible for undergraduate law education.

A key innovation of the platform is its modular structure. At its core are entries – short, self-contained texts introducing a concept, theory, theme, legal field, or thinker from a critical perspective. Each entry can stand alone or be combined into custom syllabi. This flexibility allows educators to tailor content to their course objectives, creating coherent modules from diverse critical perspectives.

Beyond entries, CriticalLaw.eu offers a plug-in learning pack that can include other available online resources, as well as exercises, case studies, and multimedia resources. It also serves as an interactive network, connecting educators and learners to share ideas and collaborate. By bringing together critical insights and practical tools, CriticalLaw.eu aims to foster a deeper understanding of law as a social institution shaped by power, context, and critique within legal education.

CriticalLaw.eu is the main output of the ‘Critical Approaches to Law Educational Network’ project, developed within the ENLIGHT alliance of European universities committed to innovating law education. It is a collaboration of Ghent University (Belgium), University of Galway (Ireland), University of Bordeaux (France), and University of Tartu (Estonia). We welcome your contributions to the network! If you would like to share entries or other open-access materials, please contact Ruben Wissing at ruben.wissing[a]ugent.be.

Directors

Ruben Wissing

Ruben is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw) of UGent. In his research, he develops critical perspectives on the intersection of refugee, human rights and international law. His work focusses on inter-state asylum policies, regional dynamics in the EU and Africa, and the lived experiences of migrants. He practiced before as a migration and asylum lawyer and worked in various Belgian non-profits and for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He is a co-founder of NANSEN, the Belgian Refugee Council.

Katre Luhamaa

Katre Luhamaa holds a Ph.D. in Law. Her field of expertise include Child Rights, Law and Legal Studies, Human Rights and Democracy, EU and European Studies, and Legal Theory. Her research focuses on international law, EU law and human rights, and in particular children’s rights. She has previously worked as a researcher at the Center for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, University of Bergen.

Illan Wall

Illan Wall joined the Irish Centre for Human Rights and the Galway Law School in 2024. Previously he was a Professor of Law in the University of Warwick and Co-Director of the Centre for Critical Legal Studies. He is a founding editor of criticallegalthinking.com and an editor of the journal Law and Critique. He researches on questions f critical legal theory, human rights and the right to protest in particular.

David Diallo

David Diallo is a Profesor of American Civilisation at the University of Bordeaux. He works on issues around race, law and politics in the USA. He is author of Collective Participation and Audience Engagement in Rap Music (Palgrave 2019).

Contributors

David Diallo

David Diallo is a Profesor of American Civilisation at the University of Bordeaux. He works on issues around race, law and politics in the USA. He is author of Collective Participation and Audience Engagement in Rap Music (Palgrave 2019).

Illan Wall

Illan teaches at the University of Galway, where he researches protest, rights and critical legal theory. He is the author of Law and Disorder (2021) and the editor of the Critical Legal Pocketbook (2021). He is an editor at criticallegalthinking.com and counterpress.org.uk

Katre Luhamaa

Katre Luhamaa holds a Ph.D. in Law. Her field of expertise include Child Rights, Law and Legal Studies, Human Rights and Democracy, EU and European Studies, and Legal Theory. Her research focuses on international law, EU law and human rights, and in particular children’s rights. She has previously worked as a researcher at the Center for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, University of Bergen.

Ruben Wissing

Ruben Wissing is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw) of UGent. In his research, he develops critical perspectives on the intersection of refugee, human rights and international law. His work focusses on inter-state asylum policies, regional dynamics in the EU and Africa, and the lived experiences of migrants. He practiced before as a migration and asylum lawyer and worked in various Belgian non-profits and for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He is a co-founder of NANSEN, the Belgian Refugee Council.