Big brother is bleeping us - with the message that ideology doesn't matter

Bibliographic Data

ID12199700
AuthorsShula Marks (corresponding author)
Year2001
Volume12
Issue1
Pages109-123
Publication date2001-02-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of International Law (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0938-5428 • E-ISSN: 1464-3596
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/ejil/12.1.109
OpenAlexW2163833037
LanguageEN
Citations received6

The term 'ideology' is used in many senses, but in one sense it refers to the role of words (and other symbolic forms) in legitimating subsisting inequalities of power. While some theorists contend that the concept of ideology has outlived its usefulness, others point to the persistence of ideology in this sense. In doing so, the latter reassert a tradition of ideology critique that has its roots in the work of Karl Marx. In this article, the author considers the relevance of that tradition for contemporary forms of international legal scholarship. She observes that the methods and objectives of ideology critique are reflected in some approaches to the study of international law, but argues that international legal scholars would do well to make the critique of ideology more central to their enquiries than they have done to date. If the thrust of our analyses was to show how that which appears necessary entrenches historical injustices, that which seems universal serves particular interests, and that which purports to be rational functions as an argument against redistributive claims, then international legal scholarship might come to play a more engaged part than hitherto, not just in interpreting the world, but also in changing it

Brother · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Human Rights and Development · Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Law · International Law and Human Rights · Law

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