Contemporary Research in International Political Theory C R I P T. Annual Report 2009

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1 1 C R I P T Annual Report ) Anthony Cooper, Royal Holloway Susanna Karlsson, Aberystwyth University Vassilis Paipais, LSE Andreja Zevnik, Aberystwyth University cript@lse.ac.uk 2) Area of Research The working group seeks to facilitate research into contemporary political and international relations theory. It encourages critical engagement with contemporary issues in world politics from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Its activities are primarily aimed at graduate students and junior academics in the field of International Studies. 3) CRIPT activities in 2009 This year CRIPT organized two workshops. The first one entitled, Law, Politics and International Relations, was held at Birkbeck College, University of London, on Friday, November 21 st It is organised in association with BISA working group on International Law (BI-LAW), and the School of Politics and Sociology, Birkbeck College. The aim of the workshop was to explore the relationship between and the changing nature of law, politics and international relations in light of recent social, political, economic and environmental challenges. The workshop brought together scholars from various disciplines, including International Relations/International Politics, political theory and critical legal thought. Attendance was good, as we had 45 people registering for the workshop. The second workshop Classical International Relations and Political Theory was held on May at the Department of International Politics Aberystwyth University. The workshop hosted a number of established academics William Bain (preliminary address), David Boucher (keynote), Peter Lawler and Howard Williams, as well as a range of early career academics and postgraduates. Attendance was good, we hosted approximately 35 delegates from Aberystwyth, Bristol, Royal Holloway, Manchester, Cardiff, LSE, King s College, UCL, to name a few. CRIPT also participated at the 50 th Annual ISA Conference in New York. The panel is called Conceptualising the Subject and Subjectivity in International Politics. It was convened by Andreja Zevnik on behalf of CRIPT. It will be chaired by Xavier Guillaume (Geneva); the discussant is Professor Diane Rubenstein (Cornell); and the five paper givers are Rebecca Saunders (Toronto), Allison Howell (York/Manchester), Simona Rentea (Aberystwyth), Elspeth Van Veeren (Bristol), and Andreja Zevnik (Aberystwyth). CRIPT is also organising 4 panels for this year s annual BISA conference. The panels cover a wide range of topics, for example: Classical International Relations and Political Thought, Theorising the Identity of International Political Theory

2 2 (roundtable), Alternative Notions of Subject and Law in International Relations, and Law, Politics and International Relations. We also nominated David Boucher s book The Limits of Ethics for International Relations for Susan Strange book award, and we are putting forward a panel for 2010 PSA/BISA conference. 4) Expenditure report for 2009 Balance in November 2008: Expenditure: Law Politics and International Relations (workshop) Dec08 Travel Expenses: Will Bain Michael Mulligan Vassilis Paipais N. Szablewska Catering: Coffee and tea Total: BISA reimbursement Balance: Expenditure: Rethinking the Classical Tradition of IPT (workshop) May09 Income: (registration fees) Balance: Travel expenses: S. Karlsson A.Zevnik D.Karp D.Boucher Houlingen A.Prichard P.Lawler Catering (coffee/tea/lunch): Total: Balance: ) Future Activities In March 2010 CRIPT is organising a workshop entitled The Conception of the Tragic in International Relations at Royal Holloway. This workshop explores what it means to talk about a tragic vision of the world politics, and the potential implications of a tragic outlook on politics for an understanding of contemporary international affairs. We are in discussion with Dr. Toni Erskine (Aberystwyth), Professor Richard Ned Lebow (Dartmouth/LSE) and Professor Hidemi Suganami (Aberystwyth) to give a key-note and attend the final round table. This is the workshop that was to take place this autumn, however, we decided to postpone the event, as some of our main speakers and contributors had other engagements.

3 3 In November 2010 CRIPT is hosting its traditional annual workshop. It is going to take place in London, LSE. CRIPT is also applying for additional funding to organise a workshop on Will and Reason: Negotiating the Medieval in Modern Politics. The application form for this event is attached. 6) Activities for which BISA funding is sought We seek funding for CRIPT annual workshop that will take place in November ) Budget for CRIPT Activities in 2009: CRIPT balance October 2009: Total cost of activities in 2009: 850 (catering and travel expenses for 2 workshops). Total amount of funding sought: 400 See application for additional funding sought for a workshop entitled: Will and Reason: Negotiating the Medieval in Modern Politics. 8) Output from/impact of planned CRIPT activities CRIPT seeks provide a forum for postgraduate students and junior academics working on political thought and IR theory to discuss and present their research. CRIPT workshops usually have approximately 40 participants. CRIPT aims to ensure high level of discussion by inviting established academics as keynote/plenary and/or roundtable discussants. CRIPT encourages postgraduates to pursue publication of papers presented at CRIPT workshops. Most recently, we have been invited to advertise a publication opportunity on ConWEB Webpapers. 9) Signature and date: Andreja Zevnik (on behalf of CRIPT convenors) October 31 st 2009

4 4 C R I P T Application for additional finances to organise a major workshop Organisers: William Bain (Aberystwyth) and Andreja Zevnik (Aberystwyth), on behalf of CRIPT. Annual Workshop title: Will and Reason: Negotiating the Medieval in Modern Politics Venue: Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, April (dates not yet confirmed). The distinction between reason and will is especially pertinent in the history of political thought and for understanding basic ideas, such as sovereignty, law, rights, obligation, justice, and the political community. Unfortunately, the distinction receives little attention from scholars of international relations, although it is central to providing descriptive accounts of the origin of these (and other) fundamental ideas. The distinction between reason and will is no less fundamental to evaluative accounts of these ideas and so much else that goes on in political life. The purpose of this workshop is to explore how notions of reason and will condition modern conceptions of the political. For example, modern ideas of sovereignty are rooted in a medieval theological dispute about the character and powers of God as either rational and predicable or wilful and all-powerful. The Middle Ages also gave rise to the idea of a legislator who could illicitly create or will law that was regarded as being unreasonable, hence the distinction (common to modern ears) between legality and morality. These and other contributions are enormously important in shaping modern political life and, in the same proportion, they poorly understood by scholars of international relations who tend to posit a sharp break between medieval and modern. An important thrust of the workshop will be to think through how historical debates about reason and will inform the emergence of the ubiquitous modern rational man. Thus, the point of departure will be the revolution in medieval metaphysics that took place in the 12 th century. This so-called nominalist revolution held out radically different conceptions of God, law, and justice that undermined the realist world of medieval scholasticism and opened the door to discourses of modern politics that are so familiar that few think to call them into question. In exploring the distinction between reason and will the workshop seeks, in the first instance, to move beyond the separation of medieval and modern to consider the considerable influence of medieval ideas on modern politics. In doing so, the workshop will pursue two distinct yet interrelated paths. One path will reflect on the relevance of medieval thought for the understanding of modern international relations, particularly in the context of sovereignty, international law, human rights, representation, and world order. The other path will engage questions pertaining to medieval and early-modern metaphysics in an attempt to re-think modern notions of subjectivity, community, and domination.

5 5 An explicit aim of the workshop is to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars working in the areas of international relations, political theory, history, theology, and legal theory. A further aim of the workshop is to attract significant postgraduate participation with a view to developing scholarly networks for new and early-career scholars. Invited/suggested speakers: Costas Douzinas Robert Dyson Phillip Goodchild Ari Hirvonen John Milbank Nick Rengger Catherine Pickstock Conor Cunnigham Janet Coleman Budget: Accommodation for invited speakers: 10 x 65 = 650 Catering: dinner 35 x 15 = 525; lunch 35 x 5 = 175; Coffee/tea breaks: 150 Travel expenses within UK: estimation 10 x 50 = 500 Additional administrative costs: 100 Total: 2100 Total funding asked for: 1600 Contributions and wider scope of the event: The workshop makes significant contributions to many different aspects of international politics. One of the main contributions is towards foreign policy decision-making. The workshop contributes to the development and understanding of international law and the laws of war, and their applicability in the times of war, as well as to the notions of state responsibility to protect or to intervene. The origins of state s right to intervene and its obligation to protect its citizens can be traced back to medieval discussions on state authority. By re-engaging with those origins the workshop seeks to make policy relevant observation on how to engage with current problematic of humanitarian or military interventions, as well as obligations to protect. Similarly, the workshop interrogates the origins of state authority. By engaging with nominalist contributions to modern politics, the workshop reopens discussions about the politics of exception. It addresses topics such as whether the sovereign has the right to abrogate laws, is he/she placed outside or above the law; as well as what the rights of individuals in such exceptional circumstances are, to what extent can human rights be abrogated and how to make sense of the re-emergence of torture and rendition debates. The workshop, in this respect, revisits and reconsiders the origins and the evolution of human rights. The workshop implicitly also engages with religion, in particular Islamic society. It contributes to the understanding of the relationship between Islamism and

6 6 Christianity, to the understanding of values significant for both religions, and ways of their coexistence in modern political imaginaries. Apart from the scholars interested in these themes, the workshop will be of interest to foreign policy makers, experts in international law, experts on European integration and NGO s working on human rights, and foreign policy matters that relate to the war on terror. We commit to apply for funding from other institutions/research funding bodies; and if awarded the money, publicise BISA as the main sponsor of the event and provide BISA with a financial report on the event. Depending on the budget, we will offer financial support and reimbursement towards postgraduate and early career academics travel and accommodation. The need for the additional financial support is demonstrated in sections 5, 7 and 8 of the enclosed CRIPT working group funding application.