Public Law Seminar Series \/ A Historical and Political-Economic Approach to International Law: International Law from the Perspective of Dependency Theory<\/p>\n
Date & Time: Wednesday, 17 December 2025, 12:30 \u2013 13:30
\nVenue: Library Art Gallery
\nSpeaker: Dr. G\u00f6nen\u00e7 Hacalo\u011flu<\/p>\n
BIO:
\nHe graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 2018 and completed his master\u2019s degree in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program, Department of Public Law, at Istanbul University in 2021. He began his Ph.D. in Public Law at Galatasaray University in 2021 and conducted part of his doctoral research as a visiting Ph.D. student at the Arrighi Center for Global Studies, Department of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, between November 2024 and September 2025. He successfully defended his dissertation in September 2025. Since 2020, he has been working as a research assistant at the Department of International Law, Istanbul Gedik University Faculty of Law. He is the author of K\u00fcresel Adalet: Emperyalizm ve Uluslararas\u0131 Yarg\u0131lamalar (Global Justice: Imperialism and International Tribunals) and has published several articles and book chapters in various journals and edited volumes. His research focuses on the history of international law, world-systems analysis, dependency theory, and the study of imperialism.<\/p>\n
Abstract:
\nInternational law is a distinctive legal discipline, shaped by the power relations among states within the global system. It is closely connected to production processes, international trade, and the hegemonic structures that have emerged throughout the development of historical capitalism. Understanding international law requires situating it within these historical and economic contexts rather than treating it as an abstract set of rules detached from social and political dynamics.
\nHistorical-sociological approaches, particularly dependency theory and world-system analysis, demonstrate that successive hegemonies \u2013 the Dutch, British, and American \u2013 have structured the capitalist world-system, influencing the formation and evolution of international legal norms. Each hegemonic transition was built on the capital accumulation and political foundations of its predecessors, producing the core-periphery relationships that remain central to international law. Dependency theory provides a framework for analyzing these unequal global relations and their impact on the establishment of legal institutions and norms. It also provides a very useful tool for periodizing international law correctly.<\/p>\n
The origins of international law can be traced to colonial expansion, and methods of primitive capital accumulation. Key historical periods include the Northern Italian city-states system, the Westphalian system, and doctrinal debates during the colonization of the Americas. These processes illustrate how economic and political structures shaped legal principles and the development of international entities. Contemporary international law continues to reflect the legacy of these historical dynamics during the period of American hegemony. Currently, global power shifts, including US-China competition, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and BRICS initiatives, influence the functioning of international institutions and the interpretation of legal norms. This research, with a historical-sociological perspective, illuminates these connections, demonstrating that international law is not only a set of rules but also a product of ongoing economic, political, and social transformations.<\/p>\n
The seminar will be held in English.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Public Law Seminar Series \/ A Historical and Political-Economic Approach to International Law: International Law from the Perspective of Dependency Theory Date & Time: Wednesday, 17 December 2025, 12:30 \u2013 13:30 Venue: Library Art Gallery Speaker: Dr. G\u00f6nen\u00e7 Hacalo\u011flu BIO: He graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 2018 [\u2026] <\/p>\n