Research Interests
Medical law, organ donation, human rights law, international law
Research Area(s)
Europe, with a focus on the United Kingdom
Profile
Jodie White is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Law and Anthropology at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M.), both from the University of Reading (UK). During her studies she also spent a year at the University of Vienna. While still a law student, White interned at a law firm and with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, working on public international law. Prior to beginning her PhD programme, she worked as an English teacher in Thailand. White also worked on human rights related issues in Bangladesh, focusing specifically on the rights of women and girls. Since then, she has continued this work in Bangladesh as a Foreign Officer at the charity With She. This experience inspired her to study international law at the master’s level, with a focus on human rights.
Why Law & Anthropology?
Studying international law has demonstrated to me that the relationship between law and other social, political, and cultural factors should not be underestimated. Human rights in particular throws the clear distinction between law and practice into high relief. I believe it is unproductive to consider human rights merely through the legal frameworks within which they exist. My research will assess how organ donation may infringe upon our human rights; analysing this through a law and anthropology lens will allow me to take a more holistic approach in considering how different cultures and religions are impacted by organ donation regulations.