[This event is fully Booked]

ECCT GREATER CHINA COMMITTEE EVENT

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the advent of one of the most significant documents in human history. While it was sealed in England in 1215, the principles of the Magna Carta resonate with modern societies globally. Most of us do not realize how the principles articulated on a muddy riverbank eight centuries ago could have such an impact on virtually every aspect of our daily lives.

Magna Carta (The Great Charter) began an evolutionary process from which arose the foundational ideals of many of today's societies: (i) that the sovereign/state/government is subject to and accountable to the laws, (ii) that due process, rights and liberties are guaranteed and sacred, and (iii) portions of society were willing to fight and die for such a fundamental idea as having a right to be governed by a rule of law based on fairness. While many of the specific clauses of Magna Carta have been superseded for various reasons, these ideals remain extant as critical building blocks for transitional as well as healthy societies, since they balance the liberties and civil and human rights of the state against those of individuals. Magna Carta's fundamental principles and values are reflected in the British constitution, the US Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. One finds the core ideals and values of Magna Carta also when looking at cultures and societies that evolved separately and apart from England, such as The Six Nations' Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederation founded in the 11^th century and other pre Euro-American native cultures and societies. Thus Magna Carta captures ideas and ideals that are fundamentally human – but many of today's societies continue to struggle to balance these issues today.

The rights and principles enshrined in Magna Carta are now threatened and efforts to roll-back or limit them are widely evident in media headlines on an almost daily basis. For example, unequal systemic implementation of state power targeted at racial, religious, sexual preference, immigrant, gender and other "suspect classifications", and state actions without due process in wholesale drone killings, detentions, torture, imprisonments and persecutions without due process or accountability run counter to these fundamental principles. From Al Ghraib prison to Guantanamo Bay to scapegoating whistle-blowers like Snowden, Assange and Manning, these can all be viewed and debated in the context of the public's right to know when state-sponsored abuse may threaten the basic balance and undermine and erode individual rights. The principles set out in Magna Carta continue to underpin the key challenges to modern notions of fairness and justice.

Magna Carta is therefore a talisman and an important symbol of the continuous struggle between the authority of government and the rights of the governed. Its name is invoked for the power implied by its meaning far more than its actual content. It is worthy of respect by the human species no matter where rooted. Societies across Asia will find relevance and resonance in the challenges they face as they evolve from authoritarian/totalitarian histories.

Professor Joshua C Tate will present an overview of the history and context of Magna Carta and will focus on its modern relevance and the reasons for its longevity. This will be followed by a Q&A discussion focused on lessons we can draw for Taiwan's and the world's future.

About the Speaker
Joshua C Tate is a leading scholar on ancient and medieval legal history, and has published numerous articles and books in this regard including Magna Carta. He currently teaches Trust and Estates, Property and History of Anglo-American Legal Institutions at SMU's Dedman Law School. He earned his MPhil at the University of Cambridge, his PhD on medieval history at Yale University and his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.

Cost: NT$1,000 per person

To cancel without penalty, written cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the event.
Contact: Jenny Wu / Tel 2740-0236 ext. 219 / jenny.wu@ecct.com.tw / www.ecct.com.tw