Christa Rautenbach

Prof. Christa Rautenbach brings over 45 years of legal experience to her role as a Full Professor at North-West University's Faculty of Law. She began her career as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice before transitioning to academia in 1994.

In 2019, she received the Humboldt Alumni Award for innovative networking initiatives, presented by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This accolade recognised her efforts in fostering collaboration and excellence in scientific research related to women and traditional governance. She is an alumna and Ambassador Scientist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and serves on the advisory board of the African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES) for the southern Africa region.

Her scholarly contributions include extensive publications on legal pluralism, customary law, mixed jurisdictions, cultural diversity, judicial comparativism, and the law of succession. She has co-edited and co-authored leading South African textbooks, such as Introduction to Legal Pluralism in South Africa (LexisNexis) and The Law of Succession in South Africa (Oxford University Press).

Her editorial roles are notable. She served as editor-in-chief of the Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal (PER/PELJ), South Africa's first electronic law journal. Under her leadership, PER/PELJ evolved from a modest local publication to a globally recognised platform for legal scholarship, significantly enhancing the university's international standing. In recognition of her exceptional contribution, she

received the Chancellor's Medal. She also serves on the editorial and advisory boards of the Journal for Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law (South Africa), the Journal of Comparative Law in Africa (South Africa), the Journal of Civil Law Studies (Louisiana), and the Journal of International and Comparative Law (UK). Additionally, she was co-editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Legal Studies published by Brill and is currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Legal Pluralism and Critical Studies published by Taylor & Francis.

She was appointed as chair of the advisory committee for the South African Law Reform Commission's Project 144, titled "Single Marriage Statute." She also serves as president of the Commission on Legal Pluralism. Her dedication to the legal field and her impactful contributions continue to influence both national and international legal landscapes.