Trevor Purvis
Professor Emeritus, Department of Law and Legal Studies
- B.P.A., M.A. (ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´), Ph.D. (Lancaster)
- Email Trevor Purvis
Current Research
Since 9/11 my research has focused primarily on the legal fallout from the events of that day, America’s ensuing war on terror, and what each of these portends for an international rule of law and global justice. Extraordinary rendition, the use of torture, Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, the legality of aggression, and the role of law in mitigating international conflict have become crucial concerns. I regard each of these as deepening a wider set of interests in processes of ‘globalization’ and the transformations its forces have engendered for social and political life in late-modernity.
Teaching Interests
At present I teach three courses; two undergraduate and one graduate:
- Introduction to Public International Law (LAWS 3603)
- International Law of Armed Conflict (LAWS 4606)
- Race, Ethnicity and the Law (LAWS 5007)
The subject matter of each of these courses has become a passion, and each dovetails crucially with my research interests. But my intellectual roots are in political economy and social and political thought.
In addition to the courses listed above, I have also taught courses in the following areas:
- Public Law
- Public Policy
- Legal Theory
- Sovereignty & Citizenship
- International Legal Theory & Practice
- International Human Rights
- Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian Criminal Justice System
I have supervised many theses and research projects in each of these areas.
Selected Publications
Purvis, T. 2006. ‘Looking for Life Signs in an International Rule of Law’ in Bartholomew, A. (ed.) Empires Law. London: Pluto.
Purvis, T. 2002. ‘Regulation, Governance and the State: Reflections on the Transformation of Regulatory Practices in Late-Modern Liberal Democracies’ in MacNeil, M., Sargent, N. and Swan, P. (eds.) Law, Regulation, and Governance. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Purvis, T. and Hunt, A. 1999. ‘Citizenship versus Identity: Transformations in the Discourses and Practices of Citizenship’. Social & Legal Studies 8: 457-482.
Purvis, T. 1998. ‘Marxism and Nationalism’ in Gamble, A., Marsh, D. and Tant, T. (eds.) Marxism and Social Theory. London: Macmillan.
Purvis, T. and Hunt, A. 1993. ‘Discourse, Ideology, Discourse, Ideology…’ British Journal of Sociology 44: 473-499.