International Law's Objects

Daniel Joyce editor Jessie Hohmann editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:26th Dec '18

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International Law's Objects cover

International law's rich existence in the world can be illuminated by its objects. International law is often developed, conveyed, and authorized through its objects and/or their representation. From the symbolic (the regalia of the head of state and the symbols of sovereignty), to the mundane (a can of dolphin-safe tuna certified as complying with international trade standards), international legal authority can be found in the objects around us. Similarly, the practice of international law often relies on material objects or their image, both as evidence (satellite images, bones of the victims of mass atrocities) and to found authority (for instance, maps and charts). This volume considers these questions: firstly what might the study of international law through objects reveal? What might objects, rather than texts, tell us about sources, recognition of states, construction of territory, law of the sea, or international human rights law? Secondly, what might this scholarly undertaking reveal about the objects - as aims or projects - of international law? How do objects reveal, or perhaps mask, these aims, and what does this tell us about the reasons some (physical or material) objects are foregrounded, and others hidden or ignored. Thirdly what objects, icons, and symbols preoccupy the profession and academy? The personal selection of these objects by leading and emerging scholars worldwide will illuminate the contemporary and historical fascinations of international lawyers. By considering international law in the context of its material culture the authors offer a new and exciting theoretical perspective on the subject. With an image of each object reproduced in full colour, the book will make an engaging and interesting read for scholars, practitioners, and students alike.

By drawing from a wide array of sources, both methodologically and substantively, this edited volume invites the reader to engage with materiality in, through and as international law. It offers a groundbreaking collection of artefacts, which (in their own ways) interrogate the complex relationship between the normative and the material, the discursive and the tangible. By weaving their analysis of the objects with vivid images and pictures, the contributors provide snapshots of diverging 'ways of seeing' international law in theory and in practice. This 'visualisation of international law' quickly turns readers into spectators and calls for an inquiry into the politics of the gaze. Hence, the book is nothing less than an invitation to self-reflexivity in the exercise of seeing — or of avoiding seeing — the performances of international law. * Daniel R Quiroga-Villamarín, Melbourne Journal of International Law *
A volume not to be missed. * Jus Gentium *
This is certainly the most interesting and innovative international law book to have come out in recent years - and might just as well prove to be the most important one. ... because of its novel method of presentation and the accessible language used, this volume is capable of expanding the readership of international law beyond its relatively narrow academic confines. * Ignas Kalpokas, LSE Review of Books *

ISBN: 9780198798200

Dimensions: 297mm x 256mm x 36mm

Weight: 1306g

586 pages