School of Theory of Law and Comparative Law

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The School of General and Interdisciplinary Legal Studies was established in 2018 when the leading departments of the Faculty of Law were merged: the Theory and History of Law; Labor Law and Social Security Law; and International Public and Private Law. The School’s faculty currently includes 70 highly qualified specialists in various fields of law, including the theory of law, the history of law, information law, labour law, social security law, sports law, public international law, and private international law.

The School provides a rigorous course of study comparable to that of the world's leading universities. Our mission is to intellectually enrich and challenge students while taking their respective areas of study and professional aspirations into account.

Publications

Book

Law Reforms Around the World: Perspectives from National and International Law

Poldnikov D., Li Z., Kyung S. P. et al.

Abingdon: Routledge, 2023.

Article

Justice Holmes’s Response to Legal Formalism in Context: A View on the Cornerstone of a Realistic Approach to the Common Law

Lesiv B.

Italian Review of Legal History. 2024. No. 10/2. P. 1-59.

Book chapter

Different Facets of Cyber Hate in Russia and Controversial Legal Responses

Anita Soboleva, Alyona Gerashchenko.

In bk.: Handbook on Cyber Hate: The Modern Cyber Evil. Cham: Springer, 2024. Ch. 17. P. 335 - 355.

Working paper

Introducing Patent Linkage in Russia: An Odd Choice at Odd Times

Gavrilova O., Kotova D.

BRICS Competition Law and Policy Series. WP 22. Higher School of Economics, 2021

All publications

Delivered by:: School of Theory of Law and Comparative Law

Type:: Mago-Lego

When:: 4 module

Instructor

Belkovich, Rodion

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

Unification of the First World states under the banner of liberal democracy and the dominance of the human rights agenda as a common vocabulary of political elites sometimes create an illusion of the end of intellectual history. Liberalism promotes itself as a natural phenomenon, a default worldview of any society developed enough to fight the “perversions” of the extreme left and right alike. This “liberal millennialism” does not differ much in this respect from the Soviet insistence on Communism as being an unsurpassable pinnacle of political philosophy. The current events though show an altogether different picture – the growing discontent of the people on both sides of the political spectrum, leading to direct action and even violence, reminds us of the potent yet mostly hidden intellectual forces which always exist on the fringes of mainstream ideology. This course is an introduction to the history of radicalism in political philosophy. Through readings in classical and contemporary authors, lectures and class-room discussions the students will try to grasp the nature and the allure of radicalism as an ever-present mode of thinking about the things political.

Learning Objectives

To understand the foundations and the internal logic of various currents of radical political thought

Expected Learning Outcomes

To understand the crucial concept of Alienation and its connection with anthropological dimension of Marx's thought
To understand the influence the private market idea has on the development of right-wing anarchism
To understand the logic and the forms of the revolt against the traditional order in Modern Times
To understand the main currents in the development of leftist thought in the XXth century
To understand the origins and the nature of reactionary attitude towards the contemporary world and its political and spiritual aspects
To understand the roots of the radical thought in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
To understand the various intellectual pathes which lead to the struggle against the state as a historical phenomenon

Course Contents

Being Radical Before Modernity: Crusade Against the Common
Too Enlightened Not to Rebel: Modern Reason vs. Ancien Régime
Early Marxism: The Spectre of Alienation
Anarchism: Ni Dieu ni Maître
Revolt Against the Modern World: The Extreme Right
The Left in the XXth Century: The Soviet and the "New"
Libertarianism: The Private War Against the State

Assessment Elements

Seminar activity
Essay
The students write an essay on one of the topics offered by the lecturer

Interim Assessment

2023/2024 4th module
0.5 * Essay + 0.5 * Seminar activity

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

9781617508301 - Debord, Guy - Society Of The Spectacle - 2012 - INscribe Digital - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1149446 - nlebk - 1149446
Burke, E. (2001). Reflections on the Revolution in France. Electric Book Co.
Derrida, J., Van Reenen, S., & De Ville, J. (2018). Before the Law : The Complete Text of Préjugés. Minneapolis: Univ Of Minnesota Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1918054
Étienne de La Boétie. (2020). Anti-Dictator : The Discours Sur La Servitude Volontaire of Étienne De La Boétie. Barakaldo Books.
F. A. Hayek, & Bruce Caldwell. (2014). The Road to Serfdom : Text and Documents: The Definitive Edition. Routledge.
Gentile, G., & Gregor, A. J. (2017). Origins and Doctrine of Fascism : With Selections From Other Works. Routledge.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe. (2013). The Economics and Ethics of Private Property : Studies in Political Economy and Philosophy (Vol. 1993). Springer.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe. (2017). Democracy – The God That Failed : The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order. Routledge.
Herbert Marcuse. (1974). Eros and Civilization : A Philosophical Inquiry Into Freud. Beacon Press.
Herbert Marcuse. (2014). One-Dimensional Man : Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society: Vol. Unabridged. Beacon Press.
Hobbes, T. (2009). Leviathan : The Matter, Forme & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiastical and Civill. The Floating Press.
Joseph de Maistre, & Richard A. Lebrun. (1993). St Petersburg Dialogues : Or Conversations on the Temporal Government of Providence. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Joseph de Maistre. (1996). Against Rousseau : On the State of Nature and On the Sovereignty of the People. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Julius Evola. (2018). Men Among the Ruins : Post-War Reflections of a Radical Traditionalist. Inner Traditions.
Karl Marx. (2014). Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Digireads.com Publishing.
Locke, J., & Shapiro, I. (2003). Two Treatises of Government : And a Letter Concerning Toleration. Yale University Press.
Marcus Tullius Cicero. (2014). “On the Republic” and “On the Laws.” Cornell University Press.
Marx, K., Lukes, S., Isaac, J. C., & Engels, F. (2012). The Communist Manifesto. Yale University Press.
Mikhail Bakunin. (2018). God and the State. Charles River Editors.
Murray N. Rothbard. (1998). The Ethics of Liberty. NYU Press.
Peter Kropotkin, & Iain McKay. (2014). Direct Struggle Against Capital : A Peter Kropotkin Anthology. AK Press.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, & Iain McKay. (2011). Property Is Theft! : A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Reader. AK Press.
Plato. (2009). The Republic. The Floating Press.
Plato., & Tyler, W. S. (William S. 1810-1897 ed. (1887). Plato’s Apology and Crito; with notes.
Rousseau, J.-J., Dunn, S., & May, G. (2002). The Social Contract : And, the First and Second Discourses. Yale University Press.
Sophocles. (2019). The Collected Works of Sophocles : The Complete Works PergamonMedia. PergamonMedia.
Spooner, L. (1992). No treason. Generic NL Freebook Publisher.
Stirner, M. 1806-1856., & Byington, S. T. (Steven T. 1868-1957, tr. (1907). The ego and his own.
The foundations of modern political thought. Vol.1: The Renaissance, Skinner, Q., 2005
The foundations of modern political thought. Vol.2: The age of Reformation, Skinner, Q., 2005
V. I. Lenin, & Todd Chretien. (2015). State and Revolution. [N.p.]: Haymarket Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=982978

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Prison notebooks. Vol.1: ., Gramsci, A., 2011
Prison notebooks. Vol.2: ., Gramsci, A., 2011
Prison notebooks. Vol.3: ., Gramsci, A., 2011

Authors

BELKOVICH RODION YUREVICH

Off the Centre: Introduction to the Radical Political Thought