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Call for Papers "Global Justice and Social Justice: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on the Relationship" International Workshop Centre for the Study of Social Justice (CSSJ), University of Oxford Oxford (UK) 7-8 September 2007 __________________________________________________ The aim of this workshop is to explore theoretical and empirical perspectives on the relationship between social justice and global justice. There has been a proliferation of theories of global justice in the last three decades, covering a wide range of views. However, two extremely important issues have not received the attention that they deserve: 1. To what extent do theories of global justice need to rely on empirical assumptions about the nature of the global order, the causes of world poverty, and the level of self-determination that nation-states still enjoy? 2. What are the connections between problems of domestic social justice and global normative concerns? We welcome theoretical and empirical papers that address specific aspects of these questions and consider one or more of the issues detailed below. Global and Social Justice: The Themes of The Debate The research hypothesis of the workshop is that the two questions above are closely connected. The way that we construct our normative arguments on international issues cannot but presuppose at least some empirical claims about who the global actors are (individuals, states, multinationals?), and what they are able to do. Within the theoretical debate, it seems that both the cosmopolitan position and the priority for compatriots argument make assumptions on empirical matters, in particular with respect to: (1) the extent to which affluent countries cause, and hence are partly responsible for, poverty and deprivation in poor countries; and (2) the effect of the global order on the capacity of states to maintain domestic social justice. In priority for compatriots arguments, nation states are taken to be the basic units of the theory. It is argued that world poverty should be alleviated only to the extent that helping the global poor is compatible with achieving social justice at home. It is worth asking, however, to what extent such a position relies on empirical assumptions - such as the idea that our domestic policies have no significant harmful impact on global poverty, or that achieving social justice mainly depends on domestic choices made by independent sovereign states. At the same time, advocates of cosmopolitanism have often pointed to the facts of globalisation to show how affluent societies may be causally connected with, and hence co-responsible for, the poverty and deprivation of much of the developing world. If they are right about the existence of what we may call, in Rawlsian terms, a global basic structure, this may also have dramatic consequences for the realization of social justice in the domestic context of affluent societies. It may no longer be adequate to assume a (more or less) self-sufficient society as a framework for theories of justice. The problem would then not be whether alleviating world poverty undermines our power to realize domestic justice, but whether, in a globalized world, states can realize social justice at all without tackling global trends and rules first. Global labour competition, the role of multinationals in creating and destroying employment opportunities, the challenges of mass migration, and the mutual reinforcement between the rise of inequalities within and beyond states are only some of the factors that are usually mentioned. If such a picture is accurate, this would have implications for the very way we theorise about justice, for the notion of a self-contained theory of social justice would become highly problematic. The priority of global justice would then not only be grounded on the urgency of its claims, but also on the fact that justice within states may depend on a global framework. In addition, if it appears problematic to assume self-contained societies for theories of social justice, it would be theoretically urgent to redefine the community within which social justice is to be realized. The two questions to be addressed in the workshop are, then, at the centre of current debates about global and social justice, yet focused reflection and a framework of analysis are still missing. We are looking forward to papers that can shed light on the relationship between global and domestic justice - from empirical and theoretical perspectives - and on the relevance of empirical facts for theories of justice. The Aims and Organization of The Workshop As controversies about the facts of the matter regarding globalisation are of enormous importance to this theoretical question, the workshop aims to bring together theorists and empirically-oriented social scientists. We are aiming for a good balance between theoretical and empirical, and between cosmopolitan and anti-cosmopolitan, contributions. Papers on either global justice or social justice that do not tackle the workshop theme specifically will not be considered. Since a main goal of the workshop is to enable a genuine exchange of ideas across the different positions and fields of scholarship, the number of participants will be limited. Panels are planned to include 2-3 presentations, which should allow for in-depth discussion of each paper. The presence of the paper givers throughout the whole workshop will be essential. Confirmed speakers: Prof. David Miller, Dr Andrew Hurrell, Prof. Thomas Pogge, and Prof. Philippe van Parijs Please send a detailed abstract of roughly 650 words and a short CV to: <[email protected]> Deadline for Abstracts: March 26th Abstract Length: 650 words For any further questions or information do not hesitate to contact us at this email address. The conveners: Ayelet Banai, Miriam Ronzoni, and Christian Schemmel __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
