The Uses of Legitimacy in International Relations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11921561 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shane P Mulligan (University of Cambridge), Shane Mulligan (University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 349-375 |
| Publication date | 2006-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Millennium Journal of International Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-8298 • E-ISSN: 1477-9021 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/03058298060340021801 |
| OpenAlex | W2081877915 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 19 |
The concept of legitimacy has long held a central place in political thought, but only in recent years have scholars started to look closely at questions of legitimacy in international affairs. Yet the literature now abounds with enquiries into the legitimacy of particular regimes, of humanitarian intervention and other forms of violence, and of various international institutions, including international law itself. These questions take many forms, as it is not simply the criteria, but also the very meaning of legitimacy that is contested—yet through these various meanings, certain continuities of use can be seen. As an application of Wittgenstein's analyses of `language games', a conceptual history of legitimacy can help to show the forms of these continuities, and also help us to understand the range of conceptual affiliates the term has picked up along the way, from legality to popular approval to moral appropriateness. Looking at contemporary uses of the term in IR, we can see how these ambiguous associations often intrude on one another, such that the concept evokes a significance greater than that which is claimed for it. This conceptual encroachment contributes to specific effects of the use of legitimacy, in terms of the way international politics can be represented and perceived. This leads to a recommendation that, if the concept of legitimacy is to become as relevant to global politics as it is in theories of the state, it is vital that IR theorists be more attentive to these practical implications of their conceptual (re)constructions
Epistemology · International relations · Law and economics · Legitimacy · Meaning (existential · Political science · Politics · Principle of legality · Sociology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Political Philosophy and Ethics
Relação Legitimidade/Legalidade Nas Ris
The EU’s role in legitimising the stigmatisation of sealing and sealers
Strategic Legitimation through Rhetorical Dissociation in International Relations
A Key Success Factor
UN Peace Operations and Conflicting Legitimacies
Non-state legitimation as practice
Legitimacy, Tribridity, and Decent Work Deficits
Remote warfare and the legitimacy of military capabilities
Technology, small states and the legitimacy of digital development
Economic nationalism for political legitimacy in Indonesia
The (De)Legitimisation of Lithuanian Opposition to Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant Through International Atomic Energy Agency
The quest for regional legitimation
When is it legitimate to abandon the NPT? Withdrawal as a political tool to move nuclear disarmament forward
The economic choices of Southeast Asian countries in the context of industrial relocation
The politics of legitimate global governance
Why don't we talk about ‘violence’ in International Relations
The quest for legitimacy in world politics – international institutions’ legitimation strategies
Contestation ‘all the way down’? The grammar of contestation in norm research
Battling” for Legitimacy
| Unique citing works | 19 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1.27 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2026 (16) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |