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This book demonstrates that art is implicit in the process of administration of international justice. The diverse nature of recent global threats as well as an overwhelming pull towards isolationism and nationalism challenge the dominant deterrence paradigm of international governance created in the aftermath of the Second World War. An alternative model is to focus on cooperation, and not deterrence, as a guiding operational principle.

This volume focuses on the theoretical component linking justice with aesthetics as well as on the practical manifestation of such connection evident, inter alia, in the rhetoric of international courts, their architectural design and their commemorative practices expressed by the practice of symbolic reparations adopted by some of the courts. The underlying premise of the book is that international justice requires new vocabulary and new approaches, which can be derived from the study of aesthetics. It is held that exploring the aesthetical dimension of international justice contributes to the discussion on the foundations of its authority and the grounds for compliance with it. The work engages deeply with the theory of aesthetics developed by Immanuel Kant and Abhinavagupta, a Kashmiri critic, philosopher and scholar writing in the early eleventh century.

The book will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of Legal Philosophy, International Criminal Justice and International Law and International Relations.

Marina Aksenova is a professor specializing in international and comparative criminal law, with a research focus on the intersection of international justice and aesthetics. She leads the Art and International Justice Initiative (ARTIJ), aiming to integrate artistic expression into the study and teaching of international law. Her upcoming book, Art, Aesthetics and International Justice (Routledge, 2025), reflects this vision of merging creativity with legal practice. Her work also addresses topics such as corporate accountability in arms trade, citizenship, and belonging, and she has published extensively in human rights, security, transitional justice, and criminology. Aksenova’s doctoral research won prestigious awards and led to the acclaimed book Complicity in International Criminal Law. She has legal experience at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and in international arbitration, and has collaborated with various human rights organizations. She has held research positions across Europe and currently teaches at IE University in Spain.

Marina Aksenova