Library Catalogue
Immunity on trial : Ethiopian courts, Chinese corporations, and contestations over sovereignty /
Driessen, Miriam, 1985-
Immunity on trial : Ethiopian courts, Chinese corporations, and contestations over sovereignty / Miriam Driessen. - First edition. - VII, 206 pages; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Sovereignty and contested claims of immunity -- The Ethiopian plaintiffs : "Even the law saw it and smiled" -- The Chinese defendants : "The law is on their side" -- Immunity through inequality -- Enacting jurisdiction, reenacting sovereignty -- Dimming some voices, amplifying others.
"Political and legal immunity are justified by the principle that certain social aims outweigh the value of imposing liability. To be exempt from the rules, however, is a privilege granted to or demanded by the powerful. The structural disparities that underpin immunity can turn it into an unjust prerogative, one that is inscribed by global inequalities. Set against a backdrop of an extraordinary wave of litigation against Chinese corporations in Ethiopia, Immunity on Trial probes the question of immunity in everyday encounters steeped in highly asymmetrical power relations. Drawing on observations from the courthouse, interviews with litigants, judges, and court support staff, and the analysis of case files, Miriam Driessen demonstrates how immunity is debated and delegitimized, or affirmed, by those who fight, exact, grant, or weigh immunity. From the construction site to the police station, from the registrar's office into the courtroom, Driessen documents tussles over immunity, unravelling the politics of dignity on which they are founded"-- Provided by publisher.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit
9780520421295
2025034136
Privileges and immunities--Ethiopia
Immunities of foreign states--Ethiopia
Corporations, Foreign--Law and legislation--Ethiopia
Corporations, Chinese--Ethiopia
Corporate power--Ethiopia
Courts--Ethiopia
Equality before the law--Ethiopia
346.63066 DRI
Immunity on trial : Ethiopian courts, Chinese corporations, and contestations over sovereignty / Miriam Driessen. - First edition. - VII, 206 pages; 24 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Sovereignty and contested claims of immunity -- The Ethiopian plaintiffs : "Even the law saw it and smiled" -- The Chinese defendants : "The law is on their side" -- Immunity through inequality -- Enacting jurisdiction, reenacting sovereignty -- Dimming some voices, amplifying others.
"Political and legal immunity are justified by the principle that certain social aims outweigh the value of imposing liability. To be exempt from the rules, however, is a privilege granted to or demanded by the powerful. The structural disparities that underpin immunity can turn it into an unjust prerogative, one that is inscribed by global inequalities. Set against a backdrop of an extraordinary wave of litigation against Chinese corporations in Ethiopia, Immunity on Trial probes the question of immunity in everyday encounters steeped in highly asymmetrical power relations. Drawing on observations from the courthouse, interviews with litigants, judges, and court support staff, and the analysis of case files, Miriam Driessen demonstrates how immunity is debated and delegitimized, or affirmed, by those who fight, exact, grant, or weigh immunity. From the construction site to the police station, from the registrar's office into the courtroom, Driessen documents tussles over immunity, unravelling the politics of dignity on which they are founded"-- Provided by publisher.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit
9780520421295
2025034136
Privileges and immunities--Ethiopia
Immunities of foreign states--Ethiopia
Corporations, Foreign--Law and legislation--Ethiopia
Corporations, Chinese--Ethiopia
Corporate power--Ethiopia
Courts--Ethiopia
Equality before the law--Ethiopia
346.63066 DRI