Concepts for International Law: Contributions to Disciplinary Thought

'This volume offers an indispensable guide to the concepts that have shaped the life of international law in theory and practice. With contributions from a stellar cast of innovative scholars, Concepts for International Law reveals the power of international legal language and the worlds it makes possible.' - Anne Orford, Melbourne Law School, Australia 'Visiting this collection brings to mind an elegant small Euro-Atlantic art museum from a single period, eclectic but coherent and unified by the imaginative taste of the curators. The entries are fine exemplars rather than comprehensive, the contributors respectably avant-garde and many already very well known or will be, the whole engagingly luminous.' - Benedict Kingsbury, New York University, School of Law, US Concepts allow us to know, understand, think, do and change international law. This book, with sixty chapters by leading scholars, provides a nuanced guide to those concepts of historical significance for international law, as well as those that have become central to how we think about the discipline. In select cases this book also offers some new concepts, seeking to address familiar concerns that have not been fully articulated within the discipline. This unique book is the first expansive exploration of concepts that have become historically central to the discipline. It allows us to appreciate how order, struggle and change play out in international law and legal thought, and how these concerns of power implicate ethical considerations. Embracing a wide range of historical and theoretical approaches, this book hopes to ignite a renewed, fertile engagement between our concepts and the contemporary, precarious, conditions of international legal life. Thought-provoking, original and engaging, this book is essential reading for researchers, postgraduates and doctoral students in international law, legal history and legal theory. Academics in international relations, history, sociology and political thought will also find this an essential read. Contributors include: P. Allott, A. Anghie, A. Bianchi, L. Bonadiman, F.L. Bordin, C. Brölmann, B. Çali, P. Capps, H. Charlesworth, J.K. Cogan, H.G. Cohen, R. Collins, J. d'Aspremont, M. Goldmann, G. Gordon, J. Haskell, K.J. Heller, G.I. Hernández, F. Hoffmann, D.B. Hollis, O.U. Ince, V. Jeutner, F. Johns, O. Kessler, J. Klabbers, R. Knox, N. Krisch, V. Kumar, M.M. Mbengue, F. Mégret, T. Meyer, C.A. Miles, S. Moyn, S. Neff, J. Nijman, A. Nollkaemper, U. Öszu, A. Peters, M. Prost, Y. Radi, N.M. Rajkovic, A. Rasulov, W. Rech, F.D. Reis, C. Ryngaert, P. Schlag, I. Scobbie, M. Shahabuddin, G. Simpson, S. Singh, T. Skouteris, U. Soirila, T. Sparks, C.J. Tams, A.A.C. Trindade, N. Tzouvala, A. van Mulligen, I. Venzke, G. Verdirame, J. von Bernstorff, I. Wuerth

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction: Concepts for International Law: Contributions to Disciplinary Thought Jean d’Aspremont and Sahib Singh A Analogy Fernando Lusa Bordin Authority Başak Çalı Autonomy Richard Collins B Bindingness Jean d’Aspremont C Civilization Ntina Tzouvala Coherence Yannick Radi Compliance Ingrid Wuerth Consent Stephen Neff Constitutionalisation Anne Peters Critic Jochen von Bernstorff D Democracy Hilary Charlesworth Development Onur Ince Discourse Florian Hoffmann Domination Anthony Anghie E Effectiveness Gleider I. Hernandez Epistemic Communities Andrea Bianchi Ethics Jan Klabbers Ethnicity Mohammad Shahabuddin F Faith Luca Bonadiman Fragmentation Harlan Grant Cohen H Hegemony Robert Knox Humanity Ukri Soirila I Identity John Haskell Ideology Walter Rech Imagination Gerry Simpson Imperialism Akbar Rasulov Indeterminacy Cameron A. Miles Individual Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade Instrumentalism Timothy Meyer Interdisciplinarity Nikolas M. Rajkovic International Community Christian J. Tams International Crime Kevin Jon Heller International Organization Jacob Katz Cogan Interpretation Duncan B. Hollis Interpretivism Patrick Capps J Jurisdiction Cedric Ryngaert Justice Frédéric Mégret L Legal Dilemma Valentin Jeutner Legal Form Umut Özsu Legality Fleur Johns Legitimacy Oliver Kessler and Filipe Dos Reis N Normativity Anne van Mulligen P Personality Catherine Brölmann and Janne Nijman Pluralism Nico Krisch Precedent Makane Moïse Mbengue Progress Thomas Skouteris R Reason Pierre Schlag Relative Normativity Matthias Goldmann Responsibility André Nollkaemper Revolutionaries Vidya Kumar Rights Samuel Moyn Rule of Law Philip Allott S Semantic Authority Ingo Venzke Sovereignty Guglielmo Verdirame State Tom Sparks System Mario Prost U Universalism Geoff Gordon Utopian Akbar Rasulov W War Iain Scobbie Index

About the Author :
Edited by Jean d’Aspremont, Professor of International Law, School of Law, Sciences Po Paris, France and School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, UK and Sahib Singh, Lecturer of International Law, Tilburg University, the Netherlands and University of Helsinki, Finland

Review :
‘An extremely well-indexed treasure chest which allows the reader to follow an idea through the lenses of different authors and to understand the historical and conceptual contexts in which each lens is situated. The scholarship is stellar, emanating from long-established luminaries as well as innovative, newer participants at earlier stages of their careers. The contributors hail from eighteen countries, with at least one participant from each of the geographical regions of the globe, which adds to the cosmopolitan flavour of the text. . . it will illuminate, provoke and inform. The book is described as essential reading for “researchers, postgraduates and doctoral students”, I think it could prove to be invaluable at earlier stages of study as well.’ ‘This volume offers an indispensable guide to the concepts that have shaped the life of international law in theory and practice. With contributions from a stellar cast of innovative scholars, Concepts for International Law reveals the power of international legal language and the worlds it makes possible.’ ‘Visiting this collection brings to mind an elegant small Euro-Atlantic art museum from a single period, eclectic but coherent and unified by the imaginative taste of the curators. The entries are fine exemplars rather than comprehensive, the contributors respectably avant-garde and many already very well known or will be, the whole engagingly luminous.’ ‘This volume traverses the concepts that aim to anchor international law. Presented as an “experiment”, the work assembles the greatest voices to interrogate the power of international law’s core concepts. And it does so with much success. This is a magnificent work’. ‘The editors of this book offer it as a response to what they see as a profound contemporary malaise in international law, connected to a faltering faith in the liberal cosmopolitanism, and a deep understanding of international law's implications in many of the world's most horrific inequities and injustices. Through its diverse chapters, they explore the counterintuitive but intriguing proposition that the way out may lie in a new mode of ‘conceptualisation’, that is to say, a way of being in which the flawed conceptual heritage of international law is understood to require not just powerful critique, but also an attitude of gentle and knowing stewardship.’ ‘This is an extremely rich and diverse collection of chapters on some important foundational concepts in international law. The chapters reflect the variety of approaches in international law today. I really enjoyed reading the book, as it challenged several of my assumptions about the field.’