Capitalism As Civilisation - A History of International Law

Using the theoretical tools drawn from historical materialism and deconstruction, Tzouvala offers a comprehensive history of the standard of civilisation.

List of contents

1. The standard of civilisation in international law: politics, theory, method; 2. The standard of civilisation in the nineteenth century: between the 'logic of improvement' and the 'logic of biology'; 3. The institutionalisation of civilisation in the interwar period; 4. Arguing with borrowed concepts: 'The sacred trust of civilisation' in the South West Africa Saga; 5. From Iraq to Syria: legal arguments for the civilising missions of the twenty-first century; 6. Thinking through contradictions on a warming planet.

About the author

Ntina Tzouvala is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University College of Law. Her research focuses on the political economy, the history, and the theory of international law.

Summary

This monograph offers a comprehensive history of the standard of civilisation, a core component of the history of international law, that also shows its relevance for contemporary lawyers. It offers a distinctive intervention in the context of the recent revival of the history and theory of international law.

Additional text

'In this impassioned and timely book, Ntina Tzouvala brings a humanist interpretation of Marxism to bear on the violent history of colonisation and capitalist exploitation facilitated by international lawyers since the nineteenth century. Tzouvala compellingly argues that the standard of civilisation has not been abandoned but that it reappears in new patterns of international legal argumentation that continue to impose and entrench capitalist relations on a global scale. Capitalism As Civilisation gives voice to a new spirit of revolution in a world on fire.' Anne Orford, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, Michael D Kirby Chair of International Law, Australian Laureate Fellow, Melbourne Law School

Product details

• Authors: Ntina Tzouvala, Ntina (Australian National University Tzouvala, Ntina (University of Melbourne) Tzouvala, TZOUVALA NTINA
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2020
• EAN: 9781108497183
• ISBN: 978-1-108-49718-3
• No. of pages: 230
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Internati; Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; LAW / Legal History, POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / General, LAW / International, LAW / Public, LAW / Commercial / International Trade, International Relations, International Law, Public International Law, Legal History, International economic & trade law, International Organisations & Institutions, Public international law: economic and trade