E. Tendayi Achiume
Alicia Miñana Professor of Law
E. Tendayi Achiume is the inaugural Alicia Miñana Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and former Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. She served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism from 2017 to 2023, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in 1993. She is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow and received UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020 and the Eby Award for the Art of Teaching. Her scholarship examines the legal and ethical implications of colonialism for contemporary international migration and the global governance of racism.
Teaching Style
Professor Achiume is an award-winning teacher who brings her experience as the former UN Special Rapporteur on Racism to the classroom. She uses the Socratic method to challenge students to think critically about how international legal frameworks address racism, migration, and inequality. She cold-calls students and expects rigorous engagement with both doctrinal materials and the theoretical and historical dimensions of international law. Her teaching encourages students to question the colonial legacies embedded in contemporary legal institutions.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Understand the basic frameworks of international human rights law and refugee law
- 2Be prepared to discuss how historical colonialism shapes contemporary migration patterns and legal regimes
- 3Read her UN Special Rapporteur reports for insight into her analytical approach to racism and xenophobia
- 4Think critically about the tensions between state sovereignty and international human rights obligations
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., Yale Law School
- B.A., Yale University
Notable Publications
- Scholarship on colonial legacies in international migration governance
- Reports as UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism
Research Interests
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