Prof. Dr. Caroline von Gall

Caroline von Gall has been assistant professor for public law at Goethe University, Frankfurt, since 2022. Before she was guest professor for international and public law at Freie University Berlin (2020-2022) and junior professor at the University of Cologne 2012-2020. She finished her PhD in comparative constitutional law and received her habilitation in 2020. She is the author of numerous articles and books on human rights, constitutional law comparative constitutional law with a special focus on Eastern Europe, international law, authoritarianism and philosophy of law. She is a board member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde and has three children.

Research Project

Human Rights and Authoritarianism

Caroline von Gall's project explores the different functions of human rights and human rights discourse for authoritarian regimes. It can be shown that the universal claim of human rights is met with different responses from different authoritarian leaders. The case of the late Soviet Union and the Russian Federation irrefutably demonstrates that human rights discourse changes in direct correlation with the evolving nature of the regime, inextricably linked to the interdependent pillars of authoritarian rule, namely repression and ideology. The project examines the role of international human rights standards in Russian post-socialist discourse. It also investigates the impact of authoritarian influence on international human rights development and the challenges authoritarian member states pose to the legitimacy and functioning of democratic international institutions such as the Council of Europe or the European Union. Finally, it explores the significance of the political regime (democracy and authoritarianism) as a framework for further studies in comparative constitutional law and comparative international law.

Caroline von Gall | Anti-Western Approaches to Human Rights Discourse in the Soviet Union and Putin’s Russia as video and podcast on Wissenschaftsportal L.I.S.A.