The law community mourns the loss of Professor Karen Knop who tragically passed away on September 26, 2022
Professor Karen Knop passed away on September 26, 2022 to the shock and immense sadness of students, Faculty members, and the greater law community. Prof. Knop held the Faculty’s Cecil A. Wright Chair and taught international law. She was unique for her character and scholarship and left behind a vast network of people deeply saddened by her loss.
Prof. Knop was born in 1960 in Halifax and earned a BSc and LLB from Dalhousie University in 1982 and 1986 respectively. She received an LLM from Columbia University in 1990 and an SJD from the University of Toronto in 1990. She subsequently joined the Faculty that year as a special lecturer and became a full-time faculty member in 1992.
Prof. Knop had an impressive repertoire of scholastic achievements. She spearheaded a feminist approach to international law and was globally recognized as a renowned public international law scholar. Most recently, Prof. Knop taught a course at The Hague Academy of International Law in early 2020, attended the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies as the Aatos Erkko Visiting Professor in Studies on Contemporary Society in 2020–21, and she was named one of the inaugural Max Planck Law Fellows in 2022, the highest honour awarded by the Max Planck Law network to scholars outside of the German Max Planck Society.
While writing this article, I reached out to the law school community for comments about Prof. Knop that could contextualize who she was as a person beyond her academic successes. Every person I spoke to directed me to yet another individual that Prof. Knop mentored or befriended. Uncannily, people often repeated the same sentiments: Prof. Knop was a kind, generous spirit with a compassionate demeanour; and above all else, she was an irreplaceable friend.
As an academic, Professor Knop was one of the most collegial people Professor Phillips ever met. The two first became acquainted at Dalhousie University when they were both studying law. Having known Prof. Knop for many years, Professor Phillips emphasized her keen interest in other people and humility. Despite being immensely accomplished, Prof. Knop often found genuine interest in others’ work and enjoyed engaging with people beyond her own academic pursuits.
Professor Dyzenhaus had a particularly close relationship with Prof. Knop and they previously co-taught courses together. They lived near one another and often met for “international law drinks.” As he described, Prof. Knop’s “intellect made her a leading scholar, but her warmth, wit, and generosity of spirit are what we miss most.”
Echoing the above, Professor Shaffer described Prof. Knop as a “people person” who “was always thinking about how to make life better for those around her.” She always took the time to support her students and colleagues in both a professional and personal capacity. Moreover, she had “a hilarious sense of humour” and “brought out the best in everyone.”
Prof. Knop likewise had a profound effect on her students. Emily Albert (2L) worked briefly with Professor Knop on a personal project and said “she was always happy to hear from students and support them in exploring their interests and passions.”
Roxana Banu, Prof. Knop’s former SJD student, “could not help being in awe of her.” Working with her entirely transformed Banu as a scholar and a human being. Prof. Knop was not only “the most brilliant and imaginative scholar” Banu ever met, “but the most gentle, generous, and compassionate soul.” Reiterating Professor Phillips’ sentiments, Banu said Professor Knop “always found something to admire and cherish in anyone and she had a unique ability to bring people together.” Put simply, Professor Knop “was someone you could never forget or stop loving.”
I never had the opportunity to meet Professor Knop, but based on the people I spoke to while writing this article, it was an absolute privilege to know her. Prof. Knop was a unique academic. She was internationally recognized for her intellect, yet she remained humble and collegial, taking joy in the passions of others and supporting her colleagues. Most importantly, though, she was kind. Professor Knop was a person you did not soon forget and someone who had a profound impact on your life. She will be deeply missed by many.
