“Wieners Vorschlag, Kontestation stärker zu theoretisieren und dabei verschiedene Ansätze zu kombinieren, ist sehr zu begrüßen. Ebenso ihr Versuch, dies durch formulierte Prämissen offenzulegen und aufzuzeigen, wo die Normenforschung anzusetzen habe. … Mit Ihrer Theory of Contestation bereitet Wiener … einen konstruktiven Einstieg in die theoretische Debatte um Normen und deren Kontestation, welche sicherlich die Grundlage für weitere Forschung bilden wird.” (Stefan Wallaschek , in: Politische Theorie und Ideengeschichte, Jg. 57, Heft 2, PVS 2016)
The Theory of Contestation advances critical norms research in international relations. It scrutinises the uses of ‘contestation’ in international relations theories with regard to its descriptive and normative potential. To that end, critical investigations into international relations are conducted based on three thinking tools from public philosophy and the social sciences: The normativity premise, the diversity premise and cultural cosmopolitanism. The resulting theory of contestation entails four main features, namely types of norms, modes of contestation, segments of norms and the cycle of contestation. The theory distinguishes between the principle of contestedness and the practice of contestation and argues that, if contestedness is accepted as a meta-organising principle of global governance, regular access to contestation for all involved stakeholders will enhance legitimate governance in the global realm.
Introduction: Contestation as a Norm-Generative Social Practice.- The Normativity Premise: The Normative Power of Contestation.- The Diversity Premise: The Legitimacy Gap in International Relations.- Cultural Cosmopolitanism: Contestedness and Contestation.- Thinking Tools and Central Concepts of the Theory of Contestation.- Applying the Theory of Contestation: Three Sectors of Global Governance.- Conclusion: Why a New Theory of Contestation?.
“In this groundbreaking work, Antje Wiener presents the first systematic account of the roles of practices of contestation in international relations and global governance. She focuses on the fundamental norm-generative power of practices of contestation - the basis of legitimacy – and maps the changes that a wide range of such practices bring about. In so doing she provides a new way of understanding change, as well as normativity, diversity and cosmopolitanism. It is a must read for anyone interested in these central issues of our time.” (James Tully, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Victoria)
“Wiener’s A Theory of Contestation makes an important intervention into the field of international norms. […] [It] offers both an explanatory theory of how norms are contested and a normative defense of why they should be contested. Wiener’s argument is threefold. First, she argues that contestation generates international norms. Second, she argues that all norms are potentially contestable. Third, she argues that because contestation is central to the generation, transformation, and implementation of norms, international relations scholars should draw upon the ‘thinking tools’ developed by political theorists who work on norm contestation in the area of democratic theory.” (Jonathan Havercroft, University of Southampton)