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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-8MJD3K@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260627T154000
DTEND;TZID=KST:20260627T160000
DESCRIPTION:The late nineteenth century saw the emergence of a complex of i
 nternational norms and legal practices which could be considered\, for the
  first time\, truly global. The questions relating to sovereignty\, citize
 nship\, and rights which emerged in East Asia at this time constitute a cr
 itical and underexamined component of this transformation. Contact zones l
 ike the extraterritorial treaty ports of the China coast\, and crisis poin
 ts like the Sino-Japanese War and the Boxer uprising\, presented test case
 s for these norms\, and jurists applied new descriptive frameworks to expl
 ain the international system that emerged as a result. \nThis paper argues
  that one reason why this phenomenon has been underexamined is due to a co
 nceptual shortcoming in the history of international relations\, which sti
 ll views international law as the product of a ‘diffusion’ of civiliza
 tional values from the West\, with little modification or influence from o
 ther cultures. Critiquing this approach has become increasingly important\
 , as it has been employed in recent years by both critics and supporters o
 f a worldview characterised by the domination of ‘great powers’. \nWit
 h reference to the writing of East Asian\, European\, and American jurists
  and diplomats\, and the operations of extraterritorial courts and interna
 tional organisations\, this paper argues that East Asia was a centre for t
 he production of international norms\, not a periphery. These examples are
  mobilised in support of a less ‘diffusionist’ conceptual framework fo
 r international history\, illustrating the early utility of international 
 legal concepts as not only servants of the great powers\, but also as a to
 ol for promoting the sovereignty of small states and holding powerful acto
 rs to account.
DTSTAMP:20260412T140123Z
LOCATION:Room 302 (Seats 48)
SUMMARY:Origins of International Law in East Asia\, 1860-1920: Towards a Gl
 obal History of International Norms - Loughlin Sweeney
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/8MJD3K/
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