9 Sep
2024
9 Sep
'24
7:56 p.m.
Dear All,
The ECPR Standing Group on Kantian Political Thought Kantian Political
Thought (ecpr.eu) [1] plans to submit an application for a workshop on
'Institutions of Peace. Perspectives from Kantian Political Theory' to
be convened by Bertjan Wolthuis (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and Jakob
Rendl (University of Vienna) to take place at the _Joint Sessions of
Workshops_ organised by the _European Consortium of Political Research_
(ECPR) at _Charles University_, Prague, from 20 to 23 May 2025: Joint
Sessions of Workshops, Charles University, 20 - 23 May 2025 (ecpr.eu)
[2].
The workshop is a closed forum accommodating 15-20 Papers over four
days. Each participant presents their paper which is then thoroughly
reviewed and discussed by the group, including time for discussant-led
questions (each Paper Presenter is expected to take turns to serve as a
Discussant). The _Joint Sessions Workshop_ thus offers a unique
opportunity to receive thorough feedback and engage in intense
discussions on Kantian Political Theory.
At this stage, we would like to gauge potential interest in the
workshop, so if this is a topic you would like to present a paper on as
part of the workshop, please get in touch with the workshop convenors
until Wednesday, 11 September 2024: a.j.wolthuis(a)vu.nl;
jakob.rendl(a)univie.ac.at.
Kind regards,
Jakob Rendl
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Call for Expressions of Interest - Workshop Proposal Endorsed by the
Kantian Standing Group at ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops 2025
Institutions of Peace. Perspectives from Kantian Political Theory
Introduction
The news reminds us every day that, unfortunately, peace remains a topic
as relevant as ever. Recently, questions about what can justify war,
what is justified in war, and how to establish peace, have again
attracted the attention of political theorists. Their works rely
crucially on the political theory of Immanuel Kant. Whereas there is
considerable consensus in the literature about Kant's position on war,
there is still sharp disagreement about Kant's related views about the
establishment of peace. The aim of this workshop is to research this
disagreement and to further clarify Kant's position on the institutions
of peace.
Why the Discipline Needs this Workshop
The question of peace and its institutions is currently a topical issue.
However, important aspects of this topic still await clarification. How,
precisely, to define peace? And how is peace best established (Hathaway
and Shapiro 2017)? Is peace always preferable to conflict (Margalit
2013; Forst 2011)?
The recent literature on war and peace (Huber 2022; Ripstein 2021a,
Niesen 2021) relies critically on Kant's notion of the state, and his
understanding of both international and cosmopolitan law. Unclear,
however, is what the establishment of peace requires, as part of a
Kantian approach. Is a full-blown 'world federation' necessary, as some
(Kleingeld 2004) argue? Others (Ripstein 2009, p. 227-228) think Kant's
theory lacks 'the resources to argue for either an executive or a
legislative international body.'
This workshop addresses these and related issues with which the
discipline is currently grappling. What has become clear to Kantian
scholars, is that to shed light on these questions, it is neccesary to
understand how national law, international law and cosmopolitan law
should work together as one system of public law. However, scholars
disagree about the status of the rather restricted rights and duties of
international and cosmopolitan law that Kant mentions (Huber 2022). Are
these rights and duties already 'public' and 'peremptory' (Ripstein
2021b) or perhaps still 'natural' and 'provisional', in need of further
institutional development (Niesen 2021)?
We invite scholars in all career stages and also from backgrounds
traditionally marginalized to send working papers on these issues. The
aim is to publish accepted papers.
The Workshop Will Address Questions such as:
What constitutes peace?
Is peace best advanced by transferring more powers from the nation state
to the institutions of international and cosmopolitan unions, such as
the United Nations and the European Union, or is peace perhaps
undermined by the further strengthening of international and
transnational authorities?
What would Kant's position be on today's institutions of international
and cosmopolitan law?
Is the framework of international and cosmopolitan law as outlined by
Kant sufficient or should we further develop institutions of
international and cosmopolitan law based on the basis that Kant has
provided?
This Workshop seeks Papers on:
Kant's theory of peace and Kantian theories of peace
Political theory of institutions of international and cosmopolitan law
Kant on international law
Kant on cosmopolitan law
The architecture of Kant's theory of public law
Kantian approaches to the relation between peace and justice
All welcome!
Links:
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[1] https://ecpr.eu/Group/kantian-political-thought
[2] https://ecpr.eu/JointSessions