Cultural Influences on the Law of the Sea

James Kraska is Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Maritime Law at the US Naval War College and Visiting Professor of Law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization at Harvard Law School, where he teaches International Law of the Sea. He has taught at the University of the Philippines College of Law, Gujarat National Law University, and Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, and served as a Guest Investigator at the Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. He is a retired a US Navy judge advocate.Hayoun Ryou-Ellison is Assistant Professor at the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. She previously taught at Howard University, the Catholic University of America, and Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a non-resident fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy (KIMS) from 2022 to 2024. Previously, she worked in New Delhi, India, where she was an Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

Cultural Influences on the Law of the Sea does something magic and increasingly rare in modern academic publishing; the editors and a talented lineup of scholars have noted an essential aspect of something long forgotten but fundamental. That would be enough in itself to, at least from an academic perspective, recommend this book. The book should be anticipated to significantly contribute to the field, offering diverse perspectives on the cultural dimensions of maritime law. This book is a critical and valuable resource for scholars, legal practitioners, and policymakers interested in understanding the cultural dimensions of maritime law. It encourages readers to appreciate the complexities of integrating cultural perspectives into legal systems governing international waters. We need to see more of this type of work; well done to the team.

• 1: James Kraska and Hayoun Ryou-Ellison: Introduction: Cultural Geography and the Law of the Sea 2: Robin Churchill: Western Europe 3: Stanislaw Michal Pawlak: Eastern Europe 4: Alexander S Skaridov: Russia 5: Seokwoo Lee: East Asia 6: Aniruddha Rajput: South Asia 7: Tafadzwa Pasipanodya: Africa 8: María Teresa Infante: South America 9: James Kraska: North America 10: Karen N Scott: Oceania 11: James Kraska and Hayoun Ryou-Ellison: Conclusion: Historical Legacies and Future Prospects