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Seminar series

How international norms die

Exploring modalities of norms hollowing out

When

15 January 2026

15:30 - 17:00 CET

Where

Sala Belvedere

Villa Schifanoia

In this project, the author asks: how do international norms erode? And, in particular, how do they get hollowed out whilst remaining in place?

The analysis focuses on two norms of global politics and traces their different modalities of hollowing out: the norm entailing the duty to search and rescue people at sea and the norm prohibiting the domestic use of the military. Blending discursive institutionalism with meaning-making, the argument is that norms become hollowed out through seemingly benign discourses of normalisation pushed forward by antipreneurs—norm entrepreneurs aiming to dismantle these norms. Adopting an abductive approach, the project traces the erosion of these norms over time, combining quantitative and ethnographic methods to study norms hollowing out in the central Mediterranean route (for the search and rescue norm) and Western Europe (for the norm prohibiting the domestic use of the military).

At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.

Scientific Organiser

Prof. Stephanie Hofmann

European University Institute

Contact

Alessandra Pino

EUI

Send an email

Speaker

Chiara Ruffa

SPS

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