معرفی
Maha Ali is a doctoral researcher at Leiden University's Institute for History within the Graduate School for Humanities, working under ERC-funded project 'Global South Challenging the Liberal World Order from Within.' Her research examines Asian states' historical influence on UN discourse regarding development and human rights.
Her research interests span human rights law and development policy; multilateral institutions; international justice and gender; post-colonial legacies in Asia; and international politics. She investigates South-South cooperation dynamics, constitutional frameworks, regional political dynamics, and how domestic commitments shape international politics, aiming to recover the Global South's historical agency in UN narratives.
Ali's key publication 'Restitution of Conjugal Rights in Islam' (2018) reflects her expertise in Islamic law and gender rights within South Asian contexts. Her work demonstrates strong connections between post-colonial studies, UN human rights mechanisms, and regional political dynamics.
Professional background includes legal drafting for Pakistani provincial governments, developing the Punjab Women Protection Authority Act (2017), and implementing Pakistan's first Violence Against Women Center. She has collaborated with international organizations including ILO, Open Society Foundation, and European Roma Rights Center.
She maintains active research affiliations with International Relations and European Union Studies programs, focusing on Asia's role at the UN within historical and contemporary frameworks.
