Abstract
This paper argues that both law and art are social products shaped by the same political, economic, and cultural forces. It identifies key Latin American contributions to Public International Law and to the arts from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through to major historical turning points such as the French Revolution, the World Wars, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. By tracing these developments, the paper connects the histories of international law and art from the perspective of peripheral countries that, despite their marginal position within global hierarchies, have significantly influenced both fields. It seeks to challenge the Eurocentric narratives that have traditionally dominated the history of international law and art, narratives that often ignore or minimize the intellectual and aesthetic contributions emerging from Latin America. This research contributes to three strands of scholarship: first, to studies that conceptualize both law and art as social constructions (Zambrano, 2019); second, to literature exploring the role of art in legal education and the cultivation of empathy (Sierra Camargo, 2014; Cicero, 2019; Valenzuela, 2024; Cobo del Rosal & Novalpotro, 2012; Saura, 2023); and third, to research examining the relationship between art and politics, which highlights art’s function as a form of resistance that can transgress both artistic and legal conventions to promote social change (VVAA, 2020).
Presenters
Carolina Vasquez-ArangoProfessor, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
International Law; Art and Society; Latin America; Social Construction; Universality
