Dr. Darryl Li

Associate Professor

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Biography

Darryl Li is an anthropologist and legal scholar focusing on questions of war, law, migration, and empire with particular emphasis on racialization in the contexts of the Middle East, South Asia, and the Balkans. He earned his PhD from Harvard University in 2012 and JD from Yale Law School in 2009. Li is the author of 'Universal Enemy: Jihad, Empire, and the Challenge of Solidarity' published by Stanford University Press in 2020, which presents an ethnographic archival study of jihadist foreign fighters during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. His work has garnered notable recognition, including the William Douglass Prize from the Society for the Anthropology of Europe. Beyond academia, Li has actively participated in legal issues related to the War on Terror, serving as party counsel and expert witness in various proceedings related to alien tort claims and asylum cases. He is also engaged in community legal work in Chicago, working with abolitionist organizations and human rights groups. His current research interests include theories of captivity, labor and militarization in the Indian Ocean, and the intersections of racialization and international law.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Chicago

Doctorate Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:26
Reading
Required:26
Writing
Required:26
Speaking
Required:26
Total
Required:104
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree Writing sample Candidate statement
Application Checklist
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  • Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • Writing Sample
  • Application Fee
Specialization Notes

Department of Philosophy