澳大新語 • 2022 UMAGAZINE 26 58 人物專訪 • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW In the context of globalisation where countries are interdependent on one another economically, culturally, and ecologically, it is even more important to look at issues from a global perspective,’ he says. Nurturing Legal Professionals Prof Neuwirth travelled around the world for most of his life, and he chose to start a family in Macao after living here for 15 years. He is now the father of two children. Over the years, Prof Neuwirth has witnessed the growth of the university and Macao in leaps and bounds. Prof Neuwirth says that Macao is unique from a legal perspective because its legal system has been influenced by different legal families. Operating and developing under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, Macao, due its status as a special administrative region, can participate in the WTO and at the same time join the development of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. ‘It is necessary for Macao to develop a consistent legal framework and a coherent policy to avoid contradictions, which is a major challenge facing all legal systems in the present era. I think legal educators in particular have to adapt to this changing environment,’ says Prof Neuwirth. As head of the Department of Global Legal Studies, Prof Neuwirth stresses that the essence of global legal studies is inclusivity, which means to think ahead from multiple perspectives when dealing with issues of global governance. In the time of oxymora, many things are often multifaceted, and there is a need to adopt comparative and interdisciplinary methodologies to understand and deal with dynamic changes between different legal disciplines. This is especially true of the changes between domestic, regional and global law, so as to nurture legal professionals who can uphold the spirit of the rule of law and understand local needs to meet the challenges of the future. In these rapidly evolving times, and with China’s rising international status, Prof Neuwirth believes that the legal profession will become even more important and law graduates of UM will be able to meet China’s demand for legal professionals who are familiar with the global aspects of law. ago when he was still a PhD student at the European University Institute in Italy. At that time, he explored the regulatory challenges facing international trade law in the context of the cultural industries. Growing up in Austria, Prof Neuwirth was nurtured by the region’s rich creative culture. In his opinion, while culture is a spiritual fulfillment and industry is a material pursuit, the two things can be bundled together into the ‘cultural industry’, which challenges the logic of the legal tradition that treats culture and the economy as two separate domains, especially when it comes to the regulation of international trade. Prof Neuwirth understood law as a global science when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Graz in Austria. During this period, he also studied at the University of Auvergne in France to broaden his horizons, which laid the foundation for his future global legal studies. After graduation, he went on to study for a master’s degree in law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he researched international cases in the country, including the Canada Periodicals Case, which he used as an example in his doctoral thesis. After completing his studies, Prof Neuwirth returned to Austria and worked as a legal adviser in the Department of European Law of the International Law Bureau of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He later moved to India to teach at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata and the Hidayatullah National Law University in Raipur, where he also explored Indian culture. He joined UM’s Faculty of Law (FLL) in 2007, and is currently responsible for postgraduate studies as well as general education for undergraduate students. He regularly shares his experiences and international perspective with students from different countries and regions, including the United States, France, Germany, Cuba, Mozambique, Cape Verde, the Philippines, mainland China, and Macao. ‘I appreciate the multicultural environment here at UM. The students are usually very hardworking and polite. They are also curious and open-minded and this helps to create a good learning atmosphere,’ says Prof Neuwirth. He believes that broadening perspectives is the key to academic excellence. ‘We need to broaden our horizons and study contemporary legal issues of international concern.
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