Cultural Expertise and the State
The symposium ‘Cultural Expertise and the State’ brings together authors and panellists to explore a central question: how does cultural expertise contribute to the definition, implementation and challenge of contemporary state practices? At the intersection of anthropology, law, political geography and state studies, the papers examine how cultural knowledge is mobilised within public institutions, judicial arenas and governance mechanisms. They also explore the tensions among the universality of law, normative plurality, and situated claims, as well as the role of expertise in the processes of legitimisation, mediation, and transformation of public action. The conference is designed as a forum for in-depth discussion between authors and discussants to refine the proposed analytical frameworks, foster dialogue across diverse fields of research, and identify renewed theoretical perspectives on the relationship between cultural expertise and the state.
PROGRAMME
24th September
9 am
Introduction by Stephane Van Damme (Director of the Maison Française d’Oxford) and Livia Holden (Chair of K-Peritia)
9:15 am – 10am
Toward Stateless Statehood: A Critical Genealogy of the State in the Social Sciences
Speaker: Livia Holden Director of Research (CNRS Paris 1 Panthéon - Sorbonne, Maison Française d’Oxford, Royal Institute of Anthropology of the United Kingdom and Ireland).
Discussants: Patrice Baubeau Associate Professor in Economic History at the University of Paris Nanterre; and Chihab El Khachab Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oxford
10am – 10:45 am
Hybrid Governance in a Globalised World: Rethinking State Sovereignty, Accountability, and Equity
Speaker: Charmaine Cole Legal Advisor at St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford.
Discussant: Noelle Higgins - Associate Professor, Public international law, Founding Director of the Research Centre in International Justice at Maynooth University. [online]
10:45 am - 11:00 am
Coffee break
11am – 12am
Contested Sovereignty, Hybrid Governance, and State Resilience in the Arab Middle East
Speaker: Dina Hadad Specialist in international law and has a significant involvement with research and a first-hand knowledge of socio-legal and political complexities of the Arab Middle East World.
Discussant: Morgan Clarke Professor of Social Anthropology and Fellow of Keble College at the University of Oxford.
12am - 2 pm
Lunch Break
2pm -2:45pm
Cyber Statehood, Territoriality, and Sovereignty Challenges in Sinking States
Speaker: Sara Baydoun PhD candidate and instructor in Public International Law, affiliated to the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IHEI) at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas.
Discussant: Susan F. Hirsch Professor Emeritus of Conflict Resolution and Anthropology at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University (Virginia, USA).
2:45 pm – 3:30 pm
Non-state Norms and the State in International Family Matters Across Borders
Speaker: Laureline Kergueris PhD in Private International Law, University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Discussant: Stefanie Lemke Director of Rule of Law Initiative and Senior Scientific Officer with Berlin SOCLES International Centre for Socio-Legal Studies.
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
War, Sovereignty, and State Formation: The Role of Conflict in Shaping Statehood
Speaker: Blazej Kaucz: PhD from University College Cork, Ireland.
Discussant: Sameer Rashid Bhat DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford. His doctoral research explores the interaction of legal regimes in armed conflicts.
4:15pm
Light refreshments
25th September
9 am – 9:45 am
State Sovereignty and Humanitarian Intervention
Speaker: Olagunju Adesewa Precious LL.M from Afe Babalola University’s Department of Law, Nigeria.
Discussant: Noora Arajärvi, Legal Advisor, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. She holds a PhD in International Law from the EUI.
9:45am – 10:30am
Rethinking Statehood in Italy from the Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Perspective
Speaker: Elena Tagliani: PhD in cultural anthropology and anthropology of thought.
Discussant: Helena Belchior-Rocha Associate Professor at the Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon in the Political Science and Public Policies Department and part of the Dispute Resolution Lab of Complutense University in Madrid.
10:30 - 11am
Coffee Break
11 am – 11:45am
Feminist Governance and Statehood: Sweden’s Experiment with Institutionalized Gender Equality
Speaker: Lukas Bullock Assistant Teaching Professor, Colorado State University. [online]
Discussant: Fatima Mukaddam Postdoctoral Fellow with the DISSECT Project at Ghent University.
12am - 2pm
Lunch break
2 pm – 2:45pm
Ecolawfare in Colossea of the State: The Sprout of Juliana v. United States
Speaker: Ryan J Fisher, PhD Candidate (ABD) from University of California, Santa Barbara; JD from UC Hastings College of the Law; and BA from New York University. [online]
Discussant: Giorgio Fabio Colombo Professor of Comparative Law and Director of the International College at Ca’ Foscari University Venice.
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Translating Statehood: Bureaucratic Practices and the Ambiguities of Governance in Mumbai
Speaker: Adwaita Banerjee PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania. [online]
Discussant: David Perez PhD candidate University of Paris 1 Sorbonne Panthéon [online]
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Redefining Statehood in the Digital Era: Network Governance and the Cybernetic Approach
Speaker: Ana Cristina Aguilar Viana PhD in Public Law from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Federal University of Paraná.
Discussant: Anupama Devendrakumar Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Research Scientist in Heritage Economics at the UNESCO Chair
4:30 pm
Light refreshments
Download the programme and abstracts here
This output is based upon work from COST Action K-Peritia CA 22101, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) www.cost.eu and to the CNRS for the SMI – INSHS (Soutien à la mobilité internationale 2026) Funds
