Review of Plunder: When the Rule of Law is Illegal

Sultany, Nimer

Abstract

This essay reviews Ugo Mattei and Laura Nader's book. After presenting the arguments I problematize three central themes in the book: legality, empire, and plunder. Examining each one of these themes I show that the authors did not present a convincing account. Legality is not carefully distinguished from other terms like justice, formal legitimacy, or substantive legitimacy. Imperialism is used in different ways throughout the book and the authors do not contrast their usage with Hardt and Negri's. Plunder is presented expansively as a unifying logic and in a functionalist manner. I conclude by calling for analytical clarity in scholarship examining the ideology of law.

Citation

Sultany, N. (2009). Review of Plunder: When the Rule of Law is Illegal. Journal of Law and Society, 36(4), 599-606. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6478.2009.00488.x

• Journal Article Type: Book Review
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 25, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Law and Society
• Print ISSN: 0263-323X
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-6478
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 599-606
• Item Discussed: Plunder: When the Rule of Law is Illegal
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6478.2009.00488.x
• Publisher URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2218045