Dana Schmalz

Dana Schmalz is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany, and currently serves as a visiting scholar at Columbia Law School and a fellow at the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought in New York. Funded by an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship, she pursues a two-year research project examining critical dimensions of international refugee law and migration governance. Her academic profile combines rigorous legal scholarship with theoretical engagement across international law, political philosophy, and migration studies.

Dr. Schmalz earned her doctorate from the University of Frankfurt in 2017 with a dissertation on democratic theoretical issues in refugee law, followed by an LL.M. in Comparative Legal Thought from Cardozo Law School, New York, in the same year. She serves as an editor for the journal Kritische Justiz (KJ), contributing to critical legal scholarship in German-speaking academic circles.

Her research centers on the intersection of refugee law and democratic theory, examining how political rights are secured for those without voice in democratic processes. She critically investigates population discourse and its relationship to migration governance, exploring how demographic projections shape perceptions of 'too many' migrants. Her scholarship analyzes the language and power structures of international law, examining how legal frameworks construct hierarchies and influence global governance. She has published extensively on European border policies, refugee protection mechanisms, and the theoretical foundations of international legal order.

Dr. Schmalz's recent publications reveal a sophisticated analysis of migration governance that connects historical developments with contemporary challenges. She examines how legal concepts like responsibility-sharing function in practice, investigating the role of geopolitical proximity in determining state obligations toward refugees. Her work consistently combines rigorous legal analysis with critical theoretical perspectives, often challenging conventional understandings of migration governance. She explores the internalization of borders in demographic thinking and the ways legal frameworks contribute to perceptions of migration as 'excess.'

• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship supporting current research

As an active contributor to Völkerrechtsblog, Dr. Schmalz helps shape digital infrastructure for global legal scholarship. Her work connects with broader academic communities through collaborations with scholars across international law and refugee studies. While specific grant details beyond the Humboldt fellowship aren't provided in the source material, her extensive publication record indicates sustained research activity across multiple funding cycles. She engages with practical policy challenges through her analysis of European migration governance and refugee protection mechanisms.

Dr. Schmalz's research connects with multiple academic networks through her work at the Max Planck Institute, Columbia University, and her editorial role at Kritische Justiz. Her scholarship bridges German and Anglo-American academic traditions, contributing to transnational legal discourse on migration and refugee protection. She participates in interdisciplinary conversations that connect legal scholarship with political theory, philosophy, and migration studies.