Including victims in 'humanity' ratifies hierarchy, Sinja Graf shows in this compelling book. Using the tools of political theory to reinterpret postcolonial critiques of humanism, the chapters follow the historical emergence of the notion of universal crime, from the days of John Locke to the apogee of European colonialism in the nineteenth century to the recent emergence of global policing. This is a must-read for historians, lawyers, and political theorists.
Sinja Graf is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. Her work examines the relationship between international norms and political violence at the intersection of political theory, history of political thought, and international law. Her research has been published in disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals.