Lauren Benton Bücher

This book examines how European imperial powers imagined imperial space, constructing sovereignty in ways that merged geographic discourse with law.

Focusing on the interplay between institutions and culture, this book explores their critical roles in shaping the international legal order. It emphasizes how cultural contexts influence legal frameworks and institutional effectiveness, providing a nuanced understanding of global governance. Through in-depth analysis, the author illustrates the significance of these elements in fostering cooperation and compliance among nations, ultimately contributing to a more stable and just international system.

This new book by historian Lauren Benton offers a novel five-century history of violence in European empires from 1400 to 1900. Her focus is the hidden logic of limited war that drove conflict across many centuries and diverse regions. Never "minor" for the victims, Benton shows how such small wars-described as "border skirmishes" or "peacekeeping operations"-profoundly affected the lived experiences of people in empires around the world.

Lauren Benton and Lisa Ford find the origins of international law in empires, especially in the British Empire's sprawling efforts to refashion the imperial constitution and reorder the world. These attempts touched on all the issues of the early nineteenth century, from slavery to revolution, and changed the way we think about the empire's legacy.