Dr. Lauren Benton

Biography

Lauren Benton is a legal historian specializing in legal history, European empires history, and international law. She is the Barton M. Biggs Professor at Yale Law School, where she contributes significantly to the field. Benton’s recent publication, "Called to Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence," examines global legal history during wartime, published by Princeton University Press in 2024. Her earlier work includes co-authored books like "Rage of Order: The British Empire Origins of International Law, 1800–1850" and "Search for Sovereignty: Law and Geography in European Empires, 1400–1900." She has also authored and co-edited works on colonial cultures and legal pluralism in empires. Benton has been recognized for her significant contributions to global history, receiving the Toynbee Prize in 2019. She has held prestigious fellowships, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Berlin Prize. Benton has served as president of the American Society for Legal History and is currently on the advisory boards of various historical journals. Before joining Yale, she was on the faculty at NYU and Vanderbilt University, where she also served as the dean of humanities and the dean of the Graduate School.

Research Interests