Fitxa persona

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Ruth M. Mestre i Mestre, professor of philosophy of law and member of the Institut de drets humans of the University of Valencia, is a specialist in Feminist Theory of Law and forms part of the European Network of Experts in the field of Gender Equality.

She coordinated with S. Jonhsdotter the report FGM in Europe: An analysis of Court Cases, at the request of the European Commission (published by the European Commission-Directorate General-Justice (2016).

In addition, she has been lead researcher of the Project Democracy and political participation of women. A Critical comparison of new analysis and strategies, funded by the Ministry of Equality. She has also been main researcher  in the Spanish state of the DAPHNE project - EURONET, funded by the Daphne programme of the EU, to draw up plans of action against FGM.

Doctor in law by the Universitat de Valencia, she holds a master's degree in legal sociology from the International Institute of Juridical sociology of Oñati and a master's degree in theory of law by the Académie Européenne de Théorie du Droit, Brussels. He has been Marie Curie Fellow at the Centre for research in ethnic relations University of Warwick (UK). He has participated in numerous research projects in the Spanish state and in two Daphne projects (EU) on Mutilation/cutting Female Genitals in Europe.

Among his publications include the articles written together with Sara Johnsdotter, Court cases, cultural expertise and FGM in Europe, Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Vol 78, 2019, Special Issue Cultural Expertise and socio-legal studies (Austin Sarat, ed.) and FGM in Europe. Public discourse vs. empirical evidence, International Journal of Law, crime and Justice, 51, 2017. His books include La Caixa de Pandora. Introduction to feminist legal theory, PUV, 2006, and the coordination of two collective books: Women, rights and citizenship, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia 2009 and, together with Yanira Zúñiga, Democracy and Women's political participation. Visions from Europe and Latin America, Tirant lo Blanch, 2013; Democracy and political participation of women. Critical study comparison of new analysis and strategies, Instituto de la Mujer, 2014, http://www.inmujer.gob.es/areasTematicas/estudios/estudioslinea2014/Home.htm; or  articles in edited books as 'The faces of prostitution in the Spanish state: between migration laws and the criminal code, in R. Osborne: sex workers. Rights, migration and traffic in the S. XXI, Ed. Bellaterra, 2004.

In the field of post-graduate teaching she is currently a professor at the Master in Human Rights, Democracy and Jusiticia International of the Facultat de dret of the Universitat de Valencia, the Master of Agents of Equality of the Universitat de Valencia and the Masters of the Equality of women and men of the University of the Basque Country. She has lectured also, by way of example, in the European Master of Human Rights (Venice, Italy), in the Phd in human Rights and Globalisation at the University Pablo de Olavide (Seville), or in the Course of specialization in human rights from the Andean University of Ecuador.

She has been Director of the Legal Clinic for Social Justice of the University of Valencia and vice-president of the European Network of Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE). She is currently Delegate of the Revice-rector in the field of diversity at the Universitat de Valencia