[New lecture series] ‘Method, methodology and critique in international law’

Published 29 November 2020

In December 2020, the Asser Institute will launch a new lecture- and workshop series on ‘Method, methodology and critique in international law’. The aim of the lecture series, targeted at international law researchers, is to explore various new ways of ‘doing’ international legal scholarship, and is set to include a dozen lectures across 2020-2021 (see below for programme and speakers).

The series will kick off on December 16 (14.00 hours, on Zoom), with speakers Wouter Werner (VU Amsterdam) and Asser researcher Dimitri van den Meerssche, who will introduce the series and set out the stakes of methodological reflection. Interested researchers can join the conversation, by registering here.

Background

In recent decades, the field of international law has seen a multiplication of methodological approaches, a growing variation in methods and a critical reflection on central epistemological and stylistic registers. Changes in the course of the discipline have thereby often been fueled not by new substantive claims in existing (doctrinal, analytical or political) controversies, but through the emergence of different modes of seeing, thinking and writing.

The aim of the new Asser lecture and workshop series is to explore various new ways of ‘doing’ international legal scholarship. This includes a focus on the opportunities, pitfall and politics of varying methodological approaches, their embedded epistemological, sociological or philosophical commitments as well as the particular technical crafts they demand.

Researchers participating in the workshops will not only gain a better grasp of how to position themselves in an increasingly complex methodological landscape. They will also enhance their understanding of what is at stake in the various ‘turns’ that are continuously performed in international law (such as the ‘turn’ to practice, history, discourse, political economy, critical sociology, materiality, geography or aesthetics to name but a few).

Would you like to join?

In the inaugural session on December 16 (14.00 hours CET, via Zoom), speakers Wouter Werner (VU Amsterdam) and Asser researcher Dimitri van den Meerssche, will introduce the series and set out the stakes of methodological reflection. You can join the conversation by registering here. You will receive a link prior to the event.