“On 20 September 2024, Professor Koen De Feyter passed away. He was a brilliant scholar and a committed and talented teacher. He inspired many generations of students.”
Wouter Vandenhole
Koen De Feyter Publication List in Memoriam
This collection offers a comprehensive overview of his intellectual legacy, reflecting his contributions to law, development, and human rights scholarship.
Blogposts
From the bottom-up: how transitional justice is being reappropriated and used as a mobilising tool in Eastern DRC
What happens when transitional justice (TJ) moves beyond negotiated peace agreements and post-confli…
Leveraging Customs and Traditions in Addressing Child Marriages in Tanzania: An Interdisplinary Approach and Cultural Legitimacy
Introduction According to international and African regional human rights instruments, some customs …
Upholding Human Dignity in the Feed: The Case of Meta in Kenya
Introduction Every meal tells a hidden story. Seeds are prepared and sold; a farmer cultivates…
Bottom-Up Approach to Just Transition in the Mining Industry
Amid escalating impacts of climate change, energy transition is strikingly necessary to tackle clima…
A legitimacy critique of the usage of IFC Performance Standards (2012) in relation to human rights by development financiers and agencies
At the Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa Workshop, Prof. Dr Thoko Kaime presented on the …
Global tug of war in international negotiations: Global South and North standpoints on victimhood in the draft legally binding instrument
The workshop Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa brought together scholars and participants…
Revisiting ICC Convictions as a Manifestation of Power Asymmetries in Public International Law in 2026?
Introduction The workshop “Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa: Legal Methods, Critical Per…
A case for African perspectives in Law and Anthropology: beyond data and disciplinary boundaries
Introduction Emerging from the workshop Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa: Legal Methods,…
Moving Beyond Positivism and Western-Centric Thinking in Francophone Legal Academia
Decolonising legal methods begins with questioning what legal scholarship allows itself to see as la…
Symposium Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa: Setting the stage
Introduction Welcome to the Rethinking Legal Research in and with Africa blog symposium where the af…
Los compases inmortales de El Danubio Azul: una mirada de resistencia y dignidad humana en clave de vals
A propósito del profundo interés de Koen De Feyter por la literatura, la música y el cine, y de su i…
The Imperative of Extraterritorial Obligations in the Era of Geoengineering
As current trajectories indicate that the goals of the Paris Agreement are unlikely to be achieved, …
Ports are not edges: a decolonial zine on labour, method and knowing otherwise
The port is not a neutral site I went to the Ports of Antwerp, Shanghai, and the San Pedro Bay compl…
Power Through Law: Rethinking Financial Governance
Law in Financial Governance Debates on financial governance are often framed in terms of macroeconom…
From Protection to Balance: International Investment Agreements and Sustainable Development
Early Models: Certainty, Protection and Capital Security The classical theory on foreign investment …
Localizing Hope Reflections on Koen De Feyter’s Legacy
I remember the first time I had a long conversation with Koen De Feyter. It was in the cantine of th…
An “outsider” at home: Reflections on hybrid positionality and the localization of human rights in Africa
The period between February and August 2025 marked the conduct and completion of the empirical resea…
About Sunflowers and Justice: Tribute to Professor Koen De Feyter
Dear Koen, It has been more than a year since we lost you. The world is trembling. Human rights and …
Ombre et actualité de Koen De Feyter dans la vie des droits de l’homme en pays Kongo
Hommage est mérité au Professeur Koen De Feyter, avec qui nous avons eu un dernier entretien sur la …
Localizing Human Rights from Below: Indigenous Citizen Science, Environmental Justice, and Koen De Feyter’s Legacy in Bolivia
When Koen De Feyter asked his students to “start from the view from below,” he was not coining a slo…
Koen De Feyter’s Unspoken Contribution to Cities and International (Human Rights) Law
The fieldwork interviews and focus group discussions remain vivid in my memory. I can still remember…
The Scope and Substance of the Duty to Cooperate in the ICJ’s Climate Change Advisory Opinion: Reflections on the Thematic Study on the Duty to Cooperate and Non-State Actors Drafted by Professor Koen De Feyter
Introduction The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2025 Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of …
Localizing Human Rights at UAntwerp: What can we learn from Upendra Baxi?
Less is more: Upendra Baxi didn’t need more than 12 pages to sketch the societal relevance of law, m…
Global Geopolitics, International Law Uncertainties and Koen de Feyter’s Commitment to Making the Right to Development a Universal Reality
Introduction The world’s political leaders have in the decades gone by, frequently reiterated…
Revisiting Koen De Feyter’s thought through the Congolese lens
In 2013 I learned of Professor Koen De Feyter’s work almost by chance. Then a young Congolese resear…
Koen De Feyter’s academic legacy: Seven takeaways
On 20 September 2024, Professor Koen De Feyter passed away. He was a brilliant scholar and a committ…