Jay Ramasubramanyam
Assistant Professor
Law & Society (LASO)
Office: 726 Ross Building South
Email: jayram@yorku.ca
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Jay Ramasubramanyam is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) in the Law & Society Program at York University, Toronto. He holds a B.A. in Criminology from Victoria University of Wellington, an LL.M. in International Human Rights from Birmingham City University, and a Ph.D. in Law and Legal Studies (with a specialization in Political Economy) from Carleton University.
His research and teaching focus on forced migration, international refugee law, statelessness, Third World approaches to international law (TWAIL), human rights, race and racialization, postcolonial theory, and South Asian studies. His work critically engages with questions of power, norm production, and the politics of knowledge in global legal and policy regimes.
Jay’s scholarship has appeared in the Journal of Refugee Studies, Asian Yearbook of International Law and The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law. He previously taught at Carleton University, where he received the Contract Instructor Teaching Award in 2021. He has held visiting positions at the American Bar Association in Washington, D.C., and the Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law in Sydney, Australia.
His current research project offers a historical evaluation of India’s role in shaping ‘third-world solidarity’ through archival research, with a focus on its relationship with Palestine. The project examines how India’s postcolonial commitment to global solidarity has shifted in response to changing geopolitical alliances—particularly its growing alignment with Zionism and Western powers—and what this means for the future of solidarity with oppressed peoples.
Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy (Legal Studies and Political Economy), Carleton University, Ottawa, CanadaMaster of Law (International Human Rights) , Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Postgraduate Diploma, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Bachelor of Arts (Criminology), Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Professional Leadership
Program Coordinator, Law & Society.
Research Interests
Ulrike Krause and Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Need for a critical reimagination: Colonial legacy of the 1951 Refugee Convention’, in Jane Freedman (ed.), Research Handbook on Asylum and Refugee Policy (Edward Elgar, 2023). (Forthcoming)
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Regional Refugee Regimes: South Asia’, in Cathryn Costello, Michelle Foster, and Jane McAdam (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law (Oxford University Press, 2021).
James Milner and Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘The Role of UNHCR’, in Cathryn Costello, Michelle Foster, and Jane McAdam (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Human Traces: TWAIL, Archives, and Refugee Law’, (2023) Journal of Refugee Studies. (In Progress)
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Subcontinental Defiance to the Global Refugee Regime: Global leadership or regional exceptionalism?’ (2020) 24 Asian Yearbook of International Law 60-79.
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Does Execution by Shooting or Firing Squad Constitute “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”?’ (2011) 24 Amicus Journal 15.
Abdelkarim, Shaimaa; Bagchi, Kanad; Ghadery, Farnush; Sen, Rohini; Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2022. A Self-Reflexive Rebellion: Of Universality and False Empowerment of the Global South; Opinio Juris
Jay Ramasubramanyam, Some Refugees are Welcome, Others Not So Much: Revisiting the ‘Myth of Difference’, Völkerrechtsblog, 28.04.2022, doi: 10.17176/20220428-182034-0.
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2021. India is chipping away at its past generosity towards refugees, Refugee Law Initiative Blog on Refugee Law and Forced Migration
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2020. India’s treatment of Muslims and migrants puts lives at risk during COVID-19, Op-ed – The Conversation.
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2020. Will global corporations take responsibility for those they have long exploited?, Opinion Post – openDemocracy
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC3391 6.0 | A | Social Diversity and the Law | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC2351 6.0 | A | Human Rights in a Social-Legal Context | BLEN |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC2351 6.0 | A | Human Rights in a Social-Legal Context | BLEN |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC3391 6.0 | A | Social Diversity and the Law | SEMR |
| Winter 2026 | GS/SOCI6893 3.0 | M | Colonialism, Race & the Law: Sociologic | SEMR |
Jay Ramasubramanyam is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) in the Law & Society Program at York University, Toronto. He holds a B.A. in Criminology from Victoria University of Wellington, an LL.M. in International Human Rights from Birmingham City University, and a Ph.D. in Law and Legal Studies (with a specialization in Political Economy) from Carleton University.
His research and teaching focus on forced migration, international refugee law, statelessness, Third World approaches to international law (TWAIL), human rights, race and racialization, postcolonial theory, and South Asian studies. His work critically engages with questions of power, norm production, and the politics of knowledge in global legal and policy regimes.
Jay’s scholarship has appeared in the Journal of Refugee Studies, Asian Yearbook of International Law and The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law. He previously taught at Carleton University, where he received the Contract Instructor Teaching Award in 2021. He has held visiting positions at the American Bar Association in Washington, D.C., and the Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law in Sydney, Australia.
His current research project offers a historical evaluation of India’s role in shaping ‘third-world solidarity’ through archival research, with a focus on its relationship with Palestine. The project examines how India’s postcolonial commitment to global solidarity has shifted in response to changing geopolitical alliances—particularly its growing alignment with Zionism and Western powers—and what this means for the future of solidarity with oppressed peoples.
Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy (Legal Studies and Political Economy), Carleton University, Ottawa, CanadaMaster of Law (International Human Rights) , Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Postgraduate Diploma, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Bachelor of Arts (Criminology), Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Professional Leadership
Program Coordinator, Law & Society.
Research Interests
All Publications
Ulrike Krause and Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Need for a critical reimagination: Colonial legacy of the 1951 Refugee Convention’, in Jane Freedman (ed.), Research Handbook on Asylum and Refugee Policy (Edward Elgar, 2023). (Forthcoming)
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Regional Refugee Regimes: South Asia’, in Cathryn Costello, Michelle Foster, and Jane McAdam (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law (Oxford University Press, 2021).
James Milner and Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘The Role of UNHCR’, in Cathryn Costello, Michelle Foster, and Jane McAdam (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Human Traces: TWAIL, Archives, and Refugee Law’, (2023) Journal of Refugee Studies. (In Progress)
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Subcontinental Defiance to the Global Refugee Regime: Global leadership or regional exceptionalism?’ (2020) 24 Asian Yearbook of International Law 60-79.
Jay Ramasubramanyam, ‘Does Execution by Shooting or Firing Squad Constitute “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”?’ (2011) 24 Amicus Journal 15.
Abdelkarim, Shaimaa; Bagchi, Kanad; Ghadery, Farnush; Sen, Rohini; Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2022. A Self-Reflexive Rebellion: Of Universality and False Empowerment of the Global South; Opinio Juris
Jay Ramasubramanyam, Some Refugees are Welcome, Others Not So Much: Revisiting the ‘Myth of Difference’, Völkerrechtsblog, 28.04.2022, doi: 10.17176/20220428-182034-0.
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2021. India is chipping away at its past generosity towards refugees, Refugee Law Initiative Blog on Refugee Law and Forced Migration
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2020. India’s treatment of Muslims and migrants puts lives at risk during COVID-19, Op-ed – The Conversation.
Ramasubramanyam, Jay. 2020. Will global corporations take responsibility for those they have long exploited?, Opinion Post – openDemocracy
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC3391 6.0 | A | Social Diversity and the Law | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC2351 6.0 | A | Human Rights in a Social-Legal Context | BLEN |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC2351 6.0 | A | Human Rights in a Social-Legal Context | BLEN |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/SOSC3391 6.0 | A | Social Diversity and the Law | SEMR |
| Winter 2026 | GS/SOCI6893 3.0 | M | Colonialism, Race & the Law: Sociologic | SEMR |
