This situation opens with a symposium in our occasional collection on The European Custom in Worldwide Regulation. This instalment focuses on the work of Italian jurist Antonio (‘Nino’) Cassese (1937–2011), a founding Editor of EJIL. Convened by Megan Donaldson, Neha Jain, and Sarah Nouwen, the symposium consists of a framing article by Megan Donaldson and three contributions. Donaldson units out the symposium’s goals: relatively than offering an exhaustive account of Cassese’s contributions, the articles study his trajectory by means of the lenses of custom and innovation, utilizing his work as a basis for broader reflections on biography and the historical past of worldwide legislation.
Within the first contribution, Kirsten Sellars examines the 1977 dialog between Cassese and Dutch jurist BVA Röling. Cassese’s interview with Röling culminated within the 1993 publication of a e book on the Tokyo Trial. Sellars argues that this e book reveals important insights into the authorized considered two central figures within the historical past of worldwide legal legislation, who, regardless of their variations, shared a European outlook. Within the subsequent article, Lorenzo Gradoni presents an mental biography of Cassese, using archival supplies and early writings. Gradoni explores the intersection of Cassese’s method to authorized experience and his reformist or progressive mindset, shedding gentle on the progressive potential of his skilled engagements. Lastly, Adil Hasan Khan turns to Cassese’s affect on the European custom of worldwide legislation, specializing in his writing. Cassese’s redescription of the work of earlier Euro-American worldwide legal professionals, Khan argues, illustrates how worldwide legal professionals can innovate whereas preserving and actualising obtained traditions.
