Events

A faculty seminar open to both interested students and faculty featuring Lauren Benton (Dean of the College of Arts and Science, Nelson O. Tyrone, Jr. Chair in History, and Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University), on "The Legal Logic of Conquest: Political Pluralism, Truces, and Colonial Violence." By definition, the term "conquest" denotes open warfare and implies the dominance of one political community over others. In the history of the early modern world, campaigns of conquest are associated, too, with forced conversion and religious expansion. This paper reflects on these assumptions about conquest and argues that political pluralism, truce making, tribute payment, and raiding deserve greater attention as legal frameworks for conquest and colonial violence. These processes influenced justifications for war and highlighted narratives of betrayal. The paper considers examples and suggests some implications for an understanding of just war and extreme violence. Benton is a distinguished scholar and experienced academic leader whose award-winning work spans history, law and anthropology. Sponsored by the Mellon Foundation-funded yearlong Sawyer Seminar series on "Corporate Rights and International Law: Past, Present, and Future." Lunch will be provided. For more information, please visit https://sites.duke.edu/corporations/. RSVP REQUIRED. To RSVP and to receive her paper, please contact Charlie Bartlett at charles.bartlett@duke.edu.