Chaired by:
Christoph Bezemek, University of Graz

Theme:
Jorge E. Núñez, Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty, International Law and Politics: A Theory. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023
If and when current models fail or consistently fall short of addressing global changes and crises, a requisite paradigm shift should be implemented. COVID-19 is one of several indicators that prove mankind as a whole needs to reframe crises, reassess situations and discard the frames of past paradigms. The outcomes of current fragmented and unidimensional analyses and responses to crises (as a result of the science of reference and its methodology and the agent in question, such as individuals, communities and states) cannot but have a limited significance in theory and practice.
Whether at the level of the individual or at the level of the state, local, regional and international communities are plural in fact and in law. On the surface, notions such as cosmopolitanism accommodate for this plurality, while central disciplines such as law, politics and international relations seem to struggle. Sovereignty, as a concept, plays a major role for individuals, communities and states. Indeed, sovereignty appears to be absolute and imply distinctiveness and exclusionary relationships between agents. Conversely, cosmopolitanism seems to embrace diversity and bring different agents together.
The overall aim is to establish that sovereignty and cosmopolitanism can be compatible. More precisely, the author suggests that a unidimensional to multidimensional paradigm change would acknowledge (limited) sovereignty and (legal) cosmopolitanism as compatible, despite the prima facie tension between these two concepts. In practice, this would mean that states could retain their sovereignty and individuals would benefit from legal guarantees recognized beyond jurisdictional differences.
According to the author, a transition from absolute sovereignty versus moral cosmopolitanism dichotomy to an acceptance of the notion that limited sovereignty and legal cosmopolitanism can (and should) work together to embrace a coordination of divergent national orders and international law is required. An important consequence of this shift is that it might be possible to combine state sovereignty with a minimum set of enforceable legal guarantees for each and every individual, plus a certain level of coordination between national legal orders and international law.

Participants:
Open to all. Ideally, multi-disciplinary, transversal and inclusive (academics, policy-makers, people at large from different states, religions, genders, ethnicities, etc.).

Format:
The purpose of this special workshop is to explore and assess the author’s novel paradigm.

Participation:
If you are interested in sending an abstract (up to 500 words) for consideration, please send your email to claudia.namesnik@uni-graz.at by Friday 29th March 2024. Should you require a copy of the monograph for your perusal, please email j.nunez@mmu.ac.uk

The e-mail accompanying your abstract should also contain the following information:
• Name:
• Institutional affiliation (if any):
• Subject line: Please indicate "SW Meet the author: Nunez."