Defense of dissertation - Hilde Woker

Hilde Woker will publicly defend her PhD-thesis on June 4th. The event is taking place in Auditorium 3 and will be open to employees at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and invited guests.

Hilde Woker, Photo: UiT

Trial lecture - 08.15

«The law-science interface in the light of the negotiations for a new international legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction»

Disputation - 09.45

Hilde Juliette Woker is defending her dissertation for the degree of Ph.D. in law. Her thesis is titled «The Law-Science Interface within the Law of the Sea. A Case study of the Continental Shelf». The disputation is to be led by Professor Lena R. L. Bendiksen, Dean at The UiT - Faculty of Law.

The assessment committee is comprised of:

We kindly ask all in attendance to respect the rules for infection control:

  1. Stay at home if you are feeling ill
  2. Practice good hand and cough hygiene
  3. Keep your distance to the other people in attendance.

The defense will also be streamed via this link: https://mediasite.uit.no/Mediasite/Catalog/Full/d839f76cbcd54b2e9c56065066d6d42921

Short summary of the dissertation

This thesis explores the relationship between law and science within the law of the sea, through a case study of the definition and limits of the continental shelf.

All coastal States have an inherent entitlement to the continental shelf. However, the legal definition and limits of this area differ from the scientific understanding of the concept, despite the many references to science in the legal definition. The continental shelf is thus a prime example of the law-science interface, in which the two bodies of knowledge interact. When two different bodies of knowledge come together, with each their different characteristics, assumptions, and working methods, questions arise as to their compatibility, reconcilability and commensurability.

These questions arise in a time in which the world recognizes the importance of science for law and policy. It is thus crucial to understand how and to what extent law and science interact, and whether there may be any structural preconditions preventing meaningful interaction. It is not sufficient to conclude that law and science interact – we also need to understand how and to what extent they do so.

This thesis examines the legal origins and development of the continental shelf, and the interactions between law and science throughout that development. It uses existing scholarship on the relationship between law and science to understand the law-science interface within the development of the definition and limits of the continental shelf, identifying and analyzing both successful interactions and unsuccessful interactions between law and science.

Wokers supervisors have been:



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Last updated: 01.06.2021 08:55