States of Exception

Considering the major crises Europe has faced over the last three decades, this unique book offers a multidisciplinary examination of the ways in which law, human rights and politics have evolved and were affected by recent emergencies.

Costas Douzinas assesses and critiques the ways in which governments responded to three emergencies: the 2008 economic crisis, the large flows of refugees and migrants since the 2010s, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilising Foucault’s theory of biopolitics and Douzinas’ experience as a critical scholar and politician, this insightful book reviews the law and politics of emergency and proposes a theory and future pathways of resistance. Ultimately, States of Exception asks to what extent critical legal theory can inform radical politics and argues that human rights are not the ‘last utopia’ but a combination of the unfulfilled promise of dignity with the desire to transcend inequality and exploitation.



This multidimensional exploration of the intersection between critical legal theory, human rights philosophy and radical politics offers a unique insight to students, academics and researchers specialising in legal theory, human rights law, jurisprudence and politics. It will also prove beneficial for professionals and practitioners working in the legal and political sectors.