Borders and Boundlessness: A Critical Geography of International Law in Global Capitalism

What? In a globalized world, the market economy and its ecological consequences extend beyond national borders, while international law remains rooted in the idea of fixed territories. This project explores the apparent paradox in international law between these two forces: The fixed territorial boundaries of states and capitalism’s boundless strive for expansion. Why? As the market economy is fueling both the ecological crisis and a deepening global inequality, it is crucial to understand if international law can effectively address these urgent challenges of our time, or if international law is rather enabling them. This requires that we understand how the power of territorial states and global corporations correlate. How? The project blends legal theory with insights from legal geography. Using a critical spatial lens, it examines territory as both a geographical and judicial space. By studying how this space enables or restricts movement of capital, commodities, and people across borders, the project illuminates the intricate relationship between capitalism and territoriality, and how it shapes international law.