Metanorms, Justice Claims and the Contestation of the Responsibility to Protect

The dissertation project of Gregor Hofmann inquired into the normative underpinnings of the contestation processes surrounding the international recognition of the Responsibility to Protect norm. He focused on the analysis of conflicts between different metanorms, i.e. general principles that have an influence across different issue areas. In doing this, he was especially interested in the different stances taken by states regarding which of these metanorms should guide the development and application of international norms. Thereby, the dissertation project built upon recent theoretical debates on the contestation of international norms and on the relationship between order and justice in the society of states.