Abstract
Abstract Drawing on my inaugural lecture, I argue that the spectre of inequality haunts international law. The presence of the spectre first of all draws attention to what is rotten in the global economic order: how the law of the global economy has contributed to high levels of inequality while, at the same time, abdicating responsibility for it. Second, like all spectres, international law’s spectre of inequality is animated by a spirit, the spirit of social justice. It points to forsaken paths, lost memories and conjures up past possibilities that were not realized. Third, the spectre endures unless we give in and break with current repetitions. It directs those in search of progressive change towards productive contradictions within global order. Those contradictions are indeed carriers of hope. They offer reason to believe that the future is open. Engaging with the spectre of inequality in international law turns out to be much less daunting than failing to do so.
Highlights
UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam Download date:[01] Feb 2022
The presence of the spectre first of all draws attention to what is rotten in the global economic order: how the law of the global economy has contributed to high levels of inequality while, at the same time, abdicating responsibility for it
It points to forsaken paths and lost memories, for haunting is always historical.[10]. It enacts the foundational moves of critical theory in its search for what could have been, and why it was not. In describing this aspect of the spirit, I offer some fragments from the history of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Organization (ITO) which testify to prior expectations about how the economy could be embedded politically
Summary
Citation for published version (APA): Venzke, I. London Review of International Law, 9(1), 111–134. Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:[01] Feb 2022
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