Impulses for human rights

Legal expert and sinologist Eva Pils knows Chinese society inside out. As an Alexander von Humboldt Professor, she aims to raise the visibility of human rights research at FAU.

Eva Pils discovered her fascination for the topic of human rights in China while studying in Heidelberg, Peking and London. Her knowledge of the language, society and legal system in China led her to believe from an early stage that while the country might become more open from an economic point of view, it will not become a constitutional state. After completing her doctoral degree, the legal expert and sinologist worked at the Law Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and was involved in establishing its Center for Rights and Justice. She often traveled to mainland China, where she met dedicated defenders of human rights. “Seeing how these people uphold their civil courage in spite of putting themselves at risk of persecution gives me hope for possible long-term change,” explains Eva Pils.

Encouraging dialog

In 2014 she moved to King’s College London, and was appointed as a professor there in 2018. One of her research topics is the phenomenon of transnational repression. “Persecution and suppression is not restricted to within the country itself. For example, critics of the system, including students and researchers from China, are also kept under digital surveillance while they are abroad,” she explains. However, that does not mean that China ought to be declared an “enemy”. Instead, it is important to recognize the influence it exerts but still to leave channels open for dialog. Eva Pils therefore also analyzes the reaction of liberal democracies towards autocracies and the extent to which they may be complicit with autocratic injustice.

At FAU, the Humboldt Professor wants to contribute towards making the interdisciplinary Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN) a globally active and visible institution for research and teaching in the area of human rights. “For years now, I have been working with colleagues from CHREN. Here at FAU, I appreciate the fact that the legal sciences, social sciences and the humanities work together,” says Pils. “I am very pleased to be able to research from now on at a place that lays such a strong focus on human rights.”

To the CHREN Contact

Author: Susanne Stemmler

This article is part of the FAU magazine

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