 |
| Source: Koç University |
The Center for Global Public Law (CGPL) at Koç University is pleased to announce a Workshop to be held in Istanbul on 4 July 2025. The workshop will focus on the intersection between international organisations and imperialism, capitalism and race exploring whether and how these institutions have served as instruments of domination under the guise of cooperation. Each paper will be assigned a discussant who will provide detailed feedback, fostering an in-depth discussion and critique of the presented work. Discussants include Catherine Brölmann (University of Amsterdam), Jean d’Aspremont (Sciences Po, University of Manchester), Lys Kulamadayil (Geneva Graduate Institute), and Fuad Zarbiyev (Geneva Graduate Institute). Scholars at all stages of their careers, including PhD students, junior and senior academics, are invited to submit abstracts.
Workshop Theme
International law has long functioned as a hegemonic tool, enabling actors to impose their political, legal, and cultural values on others through legal vocabulary. It that respect, it is well-document that European imperialism is intrinsic to the formation of international law which proclaims to be universal. This legacy persists beyond the era of formal colonisation, as international organisations have increasingly become key instruments in shaping the global order where imperialist practices have not ended with decolonisation. These organisations, often presented as platforms for dialogue, negotiation, and cooperation, have played a pivotal role in transforming member and non-member states by imposing values and principles that reflect the interests of dominant powers. International organisations have simultaneously perpetuated some imperialist geographies and configurations of the world order. They have played a key role in entrenching global inequalities by promoting specific economic policies that disproportionately harm the Global South. Further, the voting rights, representation, decision-making are only some of the practices that sustain racial inequalities. This workshop aims to critically examine the ways in which international organisations perpetuate hierarchies, racial inequalities, and forms of imperialism and capitalism, to carve their own zone of control and domination. At the same time, it will question whether international organisations can be a site of resistance to such imperial practices.
Recent political shifts redefine the role of international organisations in the international legal order. Events such as the expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe, NATO’s expansion with Finland and Sweden, Brexit, and the rise of organisations like BRICS exemplify this reconfiguration. These developments invite renewed scrutiny of how international organisations mediate power dynamics in a multipolar world. In this evolving landscape, questions of imperialism, capitalism and race are no longer confined to the legacies of European colonial powers. The influence of China, India, and Russia challenges the traditional dominance of the Global North and calls for a critical reassessment of how international organisations shape the global order.
We invite submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- The relationship of international organisations with imperialism, capitalism and race in post-colonial contexts
- Universalism versus particularism: the imposition of values through international organisations
- Theoretical approaches to understanding international organisations as instruments of hegemony and capitalism
- Historical approaches to understanding international organisations and their relationship with imperialism, capitalism and race
- Regional international organisations and their transformative influence on member states
- The role of European international organisations in continuing European imperialism
- Imperial ambitions of non-European organisations and their implications
- The creation of inequalities and hierarchies through membership and decision-making in international organisations
- Techniques and tools used by international organisations to enforce transformations on states
- The lack of transparency, unequal voting rights, and issues of democratic legitimacy in the functioning of international organisations as mechanisms that consolidate the dominance of powerful states
- Regional human rights courts and their role in promoting specific interpretations of human rights
- The variety and plurality of imperialist projects at work in the framework of international organisations
- The potential of universal and regional international organisations as sites of resistance towards other forms of imperialism
- The convergence of international organisations’ imperialist practices with other forms of imperialism
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent to kuremer@ku.edu.tr by 23 March. Please include your affiliation in the abstract, indicate whether you require funding, and provide a 200-word bio.
Workshop Format
The Workshop will adopt a roundtable format to foster in-depth discussions. Each presentation will be followed by comments from discussants and an open discussion. Participants are expected to read the papers before the Workshop and actively engage in the discussions. Selected papers may be published in a special issue.
Timeline
Deadline for abstract submissions: 23 March
Notification of acceptance: 6 April
Submission of 3.000-word draft papers: 20 June
Funding
Limited funding is available to cover travel and accommodation costs, with priority given to junior scholars and those without institutional financial support.
Organiser
Işıl Aral
Assistant Professor of International Law, Koç University
Director, Center for Global Public Law
This Workshop is funded by the Koç University Seed Research Fund and the Science Academy’s Young Scientist Awards Program.
For inquiries, please contact us at kuremer@ku.edu.tr.
Source: European Society of International Law monthly newsletter - Koç University
