"Preface" [2011] ELECD 569; in Orakhelashvili, Alexander (ed), "Research Handbook on the Theory and History of International Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Research Handbook on the Theory and History of International Law

Editor(s): Orakhelashvili, Alexander

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848443549

Section Title: Preface

Number of pages: 3

Extract:

Preface


In 1992, Professors Philip Allott and James Crawford introduced `The History and
Theory of International Law' as an LLM course at Cambridge University, taking up the
challenge of exploring the widest possible intellectual and historical background of inter-
national law. I was in a privileged position to be part of that course over the 2000/2001
academic year; its high-level and inspiring discussions highlighting the complexity of
theoretical argument, coupled with voluminous sets of photocopied materials, covering
thinkers and works ranging from Plato to Morgenthau, and including the actual texts of
history-changing documents, provided me with the enthusiasm to engage with theoretical
questions of timeless value, ultimately culminating in the preparation of this Handbook.
This Handbook brings together the scholarly input of a group of academics with an
acknowledged expertise in the relevant areas of the theory and history of international
law. It is also an effort conducted against the background that, despite the multiplication
and diversification of theoretical scholarship of international law, there is still no such
work that would locate this subject in a relatively comprehensive perspective, whether
in purely legal or inter-disciplinary terms, and thus enable scholars and students to refer
to it as a useful starting point for identifying and examining the relevant issues of theory
and history.
This Handbook has also been prepared against the background that the past two or
three decades have witnessed the emergence of many different theories, combining juris-
prudential, socio-political and ethical approaches. One single ...