All Outputs (4)

Symbolic Power (2025)
Book Chapter
Hoffmann, A. (2025). Symbolic Power. In S. E. Goddard, G. Lawson, & O. J. Sending (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Political Sociology (717-734). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198854708.013.34

Studying symbolic power is a commitment of international political sociology (IPS). This chapter analyzes the roots of symbolic power in Pierre Bourdieu’s work on Algeria, language, and critical engagement with Max Weber before surveying its uses in... Read More about Symbolic Power.

The plural professional: How UN human rights experts construct their independence (2025)
Journal Article
Hoffmann, A. (online). The plural professional: How UN human rights experts construct their independence. Review of International Studies, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210525000117

Independent experts are routinely appointed by international organisations for specific short-term assignments. Existing scholarship has studied their career trajectories, accumulation of resources, and mobility across occupational settings to explai... Read More about The plural professional: How UN human rights experts construct their independence.

On the symbolic force of international law: the case of Gaza (2025)
Journal Article
Hoffmann, A., Schabas, W., & Pellet, A. (2025). On the symbolic force of international law: the case of Gaza. Political anthropological research on international social sciences, 5(2), 167-188. https://doi.org/10.1163/25903276-bja10065

This forum includes reflections from perspectives spanning international human rights law, international law and international political sociology to analyse the symbolic and ‘paradoxical’ power and limitations of international law. To what extent ca... Read More about On the symbolic force of international law: the case of Gaza.

Die »Kronjuwelen« des UN-Menschenrechtssystems (2025)
Journal Article
Hoffmann, A. (2025). Die »Kronjuwelen« des UN-Menschenrechtssystems. Vereinte Nationen, 73(1), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.35998/vn-2025-0005

UN Special Rapporteurs are independent human rights experts on global thematic or country-specific issues, who investigate human rights violations in states, develop international legal standards, and provide technical advice to states. This article... Read More about Die »Kronjuwelen« des UN-Menschenrechtssystems.