Kurzus nemzetközi vendég- és részidős hallgatóknak

Kar

Állam- és Jogtudományi Kar

Szervezet

ÁJTK Nemzetközi Jogi Tanszék

Kód

JNX_ERASMUS:V09

Cím

Critical Histories of International Order

Tervezett félév

Mindkét

ECTS

5

Nyelv

en

Oktatás célja

Title Lecturer(s): Contact email address: Office: Critical Histories of International Order (Reading Seminar) Nico Weber Nico.weber@eui.eu A124 Brief description This seminar explores histories of the international order that challenge the international legal profession’s founding narrative of the progressive realisation of universalist and benign ideals. It does so by offering an in-depth analysis of three seminal authors, one indispensable albeit problematic figure of intellectual history and two young voices who are poised to shape the contemporary critical discourse. They approach the question from a reactionary conservative perspective (Schmitt), in the light of a critique of the intertwinement of capitalism and civilisational discourses (Tzouvala), and of the alternative visions of the world that arose in the decolonial struggle (Getachew). The seminar is motivated by the conviction that reading a book in its entirety and discussing it in detail with a group of likeminded colleagues is a transformative experience. The selected books offer an engaging reading experience, and their numerous references will provoke curiosity for more. The course pursues two overall learning outcomes: 1) On a substantive level, students will be able to relate the different approaches to each other, identify the historical context they illuminate and assess the impact of narrative and contextualisation on the meaning of theories of international law and relations. 2) Furthermore, it should motivate and enable students to organise autonomous reading groups and to moderate them inclusively and productively. We will read and discuss the following three books: Carl Schmitt: The Nomos of the Earth. Apart from chronological reasons, this book serves well as the opener as it astutely analyses several canonical authors. These classes will particularly discuss whether Schmitt’s opposition to the paradigms of liberalism allows him to analyse 19th and 20th shifts in world order more effectively. They will also raise the question of how we can benefit from an author whose values and ideological commitments are radically opposed to the presumed average of the class participants. Nina Tzouvala: Capitalism as Civilisation. This book employs a Marxist and Derridaen deconstructive framework to examine how the international liberal order could work despite or precisely due to its internal contradictions. Tzouvala argues that international law employs the progressivist and cultural dimensions of civilisation as arguments to include the Global South into a capitalist regulative framework while at the same time justifying why it cannot fully enjoy its promised fruits. Adom Getachew: Worldmaking after Empire. The last part of the class changes perspective as it reconstructs how African, African American, and Caribbean authors attempted and partially succeeded in transforming international law. It thereby challenges the narrative that contemporary international law finds its origins in 17th century Europe. Since Getachew introduces a wide range of authors, the book can also serve as a starting point for future reading groups.

Tantárgy tartalma

Schedule 1. Introduction 2.-5. Schmitt 6.-9. Tzouvala 10.-12. Getachew

Számonkérés és értékelés

Assessment/Exam The assessment will focus on keeping students intensively engaged during the seminar and building capacities of selforganisation and moderation. Accordingly, the assessment will not rely on a final exam but on two reaction papers (40%), the co-chairing of individual sessions (20%) and overall oral participation (40%

Irodalomjegyzék

Materials/Recommended readings This is a reading intense seminar whose reading load is offset by a lack of final examination. Introduction/ background: Neff, S. (2018). A Short History of International Law. In International Law. (ed. M. D. Evans); Habermas, J. (2006) The Divided West, 2006, 117-146; Kissinger, H. A. (2014). World Order – Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History. (Extracts: intro., Ch. 1). Core: Schmitt, C. (2003). The Nomos of the Earth in the International Law of the Jus Publicum Europaeum. (transl. G. L. Ulmen). Tzouvala, N. (2020). Capitalism As Civilisation: A History of International Law. Getachew, A. (2019). Worldmaking after Empire, The Rise and Fall of SelfDetermination

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