Kirsten Ainley
Kirsten Ainley is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research focuses on the history and development of international criminal law, international political theory, human rights and humanitarian intervention. She has published on international criminal law, transitional justice, the International Criminal Court, individual and collective responsibility for atrocity and the notion of evil in international relations.
Phone: +44 (0)207 107 5118
Address: International Relations Department,
LSE,
Houghton St,
London,
WC2A 2AE
Phone: +44 (0)207 107 5118
Address: International Relations Department,
LSE,
Houghton St,
London,
WC2A 2AE
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Books by Kirsten Ainley
The core argument I advance is that the individualist conceptions of agency and responsibility inherent in liberal and cosmopolitan liberal thought are highly problematic, serve political purposes which are often unacknowledged, and have led to the establishment of an international institutional regime which is limited in the kind of justice it can bring to international affairs. I outline alternative views of agency and responsibility – agency as sociality and a social practice model of responsibility – which both better describe the way we talk about and experience our social lives, and offer significant possibilities to broaden the scope of international justice and, through this, enable human flourishing.
Reviews:
'An excellent new edition which reinforces the book's place as my preferred text for students new to International Relations. Accessible and compelling without glossing over the complexity of the issues, the fourth edition has been impressively updated to take account of real-world and theoretical developments.' Anthony F. Lang, Jr, University of St Andrews.
'[A] very appealing book... The text succeeds in giving a clear account of all the main theoretical possibilities and, in a non-judgemental but not uncritical way, setting them in context... I can think of no book more likely to succeed in persuading a sceptical undergraduate - someone convinced of the existence of a self-evident world of facts - that not only is a knowledge of theory necessary to understand international relations, but it is fun.' - James Mayall, Review of International Studies
Papers by Kirsten Ainley
To start to understand responsibility, we need to differentiate between metaphysical conceptions of responsibility qua responsibility, and the particular practices of responsibility we see in the world. A solid conception of what responsibility is, how it works, and what functions it serves in societies, domestic or international, should enable enlightened and influential intervention into debates on specific responsibilities. In this paper I briefly set out the central problem of understanding responsibility in any meaningful way – the problem of agency; outline a top-line conception of responsibility – a social practice model – which I argue overcomes the problem of agency and thus describes any and all practices of responsibility better than alternative conceptions; and start to use the model to critique existing liberal practices of responsibility.
The core argument I advance is that the individualist conceptions of agency and responsibility inherent in liberal and cosmopolitan liberal thought are highly problematic, serve political purposes which are often unacknowledged, and have led to the establishment of an international institutional regime which is limited in the kind of justice it can bring to international affairs. I outline alternative views of agency and responsibility – agency as sociality and a social practice model of responsibility – which both better describe the way we talk about and experience our social lives, and offer significant possibilities to broaden the scope of international justice and, through this, enable human flourishing.
Reviews:
'An excellent new edition which reinforces the book's place as my preferred text for students new to International Relations. Accessible and compelling without glossing over the complexity of the issues, the fourth edition has been impressively updated to take account of real-world and theoretical developments.' Anthony F. Lang, Jr, University of St Andrews.
'[A] very appealing book... The text succeeds in giving a clear account of all the main theoretical possibilities and, in a non-judgemental but not uncritical way, setting them in context... I can think of no book more likely to succeed in persuading a sceptical undergraduate - someone convinced of the existence of a self-evident world of facts - that not only is a knowledge of theory necessary to understand international relations, but it is fun.' - James Mayall, Review of International Studies
To start to understand responsibility, we need to differentiate between metaphysical conceptions of responsibility qua responsibility, and the particular practices of responsibility we see in the world. A solid conception of what responsibility is, how it works, and what functions it serves in societies, domestic or international, should enable enlightened and influential intervention into debates on specific responsibilities. In this paper I briefly set out the central problem of understanding responsibility in any meaningful way – the problem of agency; outline a top-line conception of responsibility – a social practice model – which I argue overcomes the problem of agency and thus describes any and all practices of responsibility better than alternative conceptions; and start to use the model to critique existing liberal practices of responsibility.
Speakers included: Dr Chantal Meloni; Dr Michael Kearney; Dr Leslie Vinjamuri; Dr Mark Kersten; Dr Dov Jacobs; Professor Kevin Jon Heller
Chair: Kirsten Ainley
More details of Centre for International Studies events can be found here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations/centresandunits/CIS/cis_dialogues.aspx
Chair: Kirsten Ainley, Director of LSE CIS.
Speakers:
Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor in IR & Co-Director of CCRJ, SOAS.
Mark Kersten, Researcher, LSE. Justiceinconflict.org.
Dov Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Intl Law, Grotius Centre.
Jason Ralph, Professor of IR, University of Leeds.
Kevin Jon Heller, Professor of Criminal Law, SOAS.
More information at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations/centresandunits/CIS/event_reports/cis_syria_dialogue.aspx