Dr. Hans Leaman, 2017-2018
Curriculum Vitae
Hans Leaman is an Assistant Professor of History at Sattler College in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at MPI-MMG (Department of Ethics, Law, and Politics) in 2017-2018. He previously taught as a Post-doctoral Associate in the History Department at Yale University and practiced law at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C. He holds a Ph.D. in History and Renaissance Studies from Yale University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an A.B. from Princeton University.
At MPI-MMG, Leaman researched the legislative history of the United States‘ first exemptions from immigration restrictions for reasons of „religious persecution“ in immigrants‘ home countries, providing needed legal background for American contributions to the development of the International Refugee Organization and international refugee law after WWII. The project involved research of the earliest uses of the terms „refugee“ and „asylum“ in American legislation, Congressional debates and diplomatic correspondence on immigration. He also wrote about the implications of recent European decisions denying citizenship to immigrant candidates who declined to shake hands with government officials on account of religious scruples and helped to organize a conference at MPI-MMG on religious factors in nations‘ preparedness to accommodate refugees.