Project title
Ethical subjects and the “post-justice” contenders: how to remain normative in times of war?
Research question
This project seeks to discuss and unpack the overlaps and divergences of the EU and Ukraine’s ethical reasoning during the current war.
Project description
The concept of “post-justice” suggests that the idea of law is being replaced by the interests of powerful geopolitical players, leading to the dominance of the strongest and a decline in international law and state sovereignty. Instead, geopolitical interests are taking center stage.
In her research, Yuliia Kurnyshova explores new ideas in performative and interventionist ethics. Performative ethics involves political actors with fluid identities who can adapt their priorities based on the changing situation. Interventionist ethics relates to the exercise of power, leading to concrete decisions, like military support for Ukraine.
From a policy standpoint, understanding the complex ethical reasoning during the current war is crucial for two reasons: a) It can help ensure more consistent support for Ukraine from Euro-Atlantic countries and institutions by relying on ethical arguments, and b) It can reveal the political impacts of different ethical arguments within Ukraine and among its allies.
Selected publications
- Kurnyshova, Y. (2024). Chains of insecurities: constructing Ukraine’s agency in times of war. Policy Studies, 45(3–4), 423–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2024.2325052.
- Kurnyshova, Y. (2024). Ukraine and the global south: The ambiguities of a postcolonial perspective. New Perspectives, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/2336825X241240924
- Kurnyshova, Y. (2023). Ukraine at War: Resilience and Normative Agency. Central European Journal of International & Security Studies, 2023, Vol 17, Issue 2. DOI: 10.51870/UXXZ5757 (award for the best paper published in the CEJISS in the 2023 year)