International Law from Below: Development, Social Movements and Third World Resistance

The emergence of transnational social movements as major actors in international politics - as witnessed in Seattle in 1999 and elsewhere - has sent shockwaves through the international system. Many questions have arisen about the legitimacy, coherence and efficiency of the international order in the light of the challenges posed by social movements. This book offers a fundamental critique of twentieth-century international law from the perspective of Third World social movements. It examines in detail the growth of two key components of modern international law - international institutions and human rights - in the context of changing historical patterns of Third World resistance. Using a historical and interdisciplinary approach, Rajagopal presents compelling evidence challenging debates on the evolution of norms and institutions, the meaning and nature of the Third World as well as the political economy of its involvement in the international system.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations; Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. International Law, Development and Third World Resistance: 1. Writing Third World resistance into international law; 2. International law and the development encounter; Part II. International Law, Third World Resistance and the Institutionalization of Development: the Invention of the Apparatus: 3. Laying the groundwork: the Mandate system; 4. Radicalizing institutions and/or institutionalizing radicalism? UNCTAD and the NIEO debate; 5. From resistance to renewal: Bretton Woods institutions and the emergence of the 'new' development agenda; 6. Completing a full circle: democracy and the discontent of development; Part III. Decolonizing Resistance: Human Rights and the Challenge of Social Movements: 7. Human rights and the Third World: constituting the discourse of resistance; 8. Recoding resistance: social movements and the challenge to international law; 9. Markets, gender and identity: a case study of the Working Women's Forum as a social movement; Part IV. Epilogue; References; Index.

Review :
'Looking at the concept of democracy and human rights, the author provides a detailed examination of a little discussed perspective on not only development, but also non-Western approaches to international law.' Common Law World Review '... provides a significant intellectual spark for those in search of critical insight into a somewhat neglected topic of academic discourse. This well written, and exhaustively researched, resource is a must for all teachers and librarians whose role is to ensure completeness of coverage in their respective domains.' American Society of International Law 'Important reading for members of social movements who hopefully will be inspired to create their own narrative about reshaping international law from below.' Voluntas