The concept of “securitization” was developed by the Copenhagen School to analyze the process whereby powerful actors such as governments identify a particular phenomenon as an existential threat and legitimize the use of extraordinary measures to combat it. The concept of securitization challenges the traditional understanding of security as something objectively given, highlighting how specific…

Although a common topic in colonial historiography, the influence of large-scale labor on the creation of built environments—including the design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure, buildings and landscapes—has not been fully explored in the context of colonial architecture. The topic has significant implications not only for the description of past societies, but especially for the…

The Argumentation 2025 conference continues the project of creating space for alternative perspectives on law, fostering the emergence of critical jurisprudences that challenge legal orthodoxy. This year’s theme is Games of Law, an invitation to explore how legal practices can be viewed through the metaphor of games and the deeper implications this brings for understanding legal authority, fairness,…

In February of this year, a new feminist blog called The Morrigan launched in Ireland as part of the Doing Feminist Legal Work Network. It features a mixture of Irish and international feminist legal thinking. This piece is a cross-posting from The Morrigan.No set of legal institutions or prescriptions exists apart from…

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven / AMVK; Bloem van Smarten (1990-1991)On 30 and 31 January 2025, a group of researchers participated in a workshop examining digital sovereignty through a feminist lens (see below for full list of contributors).[1] Digital or technological sovereignty is increasingly claimed by various actors, ranging from powerful states or supranational entities like China…

This analysis introduces two solid critical arguments—one ontological, the other historical—that illuminate the unique features of the theory of encryption of power, what sets it apart from other theoretical endeavors. The results are deeply intertwined, highlighting the theory’s unified structure.The historical proof: It focuses on a quantum leap in the meaning of sovereignty from the…

We are delighted to invite you to Paul Scholten Centre for Jurisprudence Colloquium on States of Exception, (link) taking place on Friday, 4 April 2025, at 10:00 AM at Roeterseiland Campus, Amsterdam Law School (Room A3.15)This colloquium will feature a keynote lecture by Costas Douzinas, the leading thinker in legal philosophy and critical theory. In…