Theorising order in the shadow of war: the politics of international legal knowledge and the justification of force in modernity

Abstract: The History of International Law lacks systematic studies on the link between legal scholars and practices of justifying war. This missing analytical link has for a long time given the impression that legal scholars describe 'state practice' in an 'objective', unpolitical way. Contradicting this impression, the article turns to the politics of legal scholars in the genesis of the modern war discourse. It reflects on the fateful entanglement of violence, law and politics, but nevertheless distinguishes between 'objective' and 'political' scholarship on the basis of Hans Kelsen's work. Furthermore, the article illustrates the politicisability of legal scholars in selected historical cases of the 'long 19th century' (1789-1918). In all cases, two hearts pounded in lawyers' chests: one scientific, the other political. As will be shown, the modern war discourse is shaped by a phenomenon that enables scholars to expand the intrinsic limits to the political instrumentalisation of law: 'mu

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; In: Journal of the History of International Law / Revue d'histoire du droit international ; 22 (2020) 2-3 ; 218-245

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Recht

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Mannheim
• (who): SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
• (when): 2020
• Creator: Simon, Hendrik

Further information

• DOI: 10.1163/15718050-12340150
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-71416-8
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:36 AM CEST