In person icon A Transtribal Panel on Norm Diffusion

Abstract

Norm diffusion is studied by international relations scholars, social movement scholars, legal scholars, sociologists and anthropologists who all use different perspectives and often a different language to talk about similar processes and mechanisms. While some talk about norm diffusion, others prefer the concept of travelling or transmission. Norms do not land in empty spaces but are shaped by legacies, landscapes, logics or identities. Literature on norm internalization, domesticization, localization, adaptation, transposition, Europeanization and vernacularization refer to similar processes but again adopt different concepts to underline different aspects of such processes. This panel does not aim to re(de)fine definitions or reach a consensus on the use of concepts. It is motivated by a certain annoyance seeing scholars making similar arguments but talking past each other because they belong to different disciplinary ‘tribes’, quote different bodies of literature and use a different vocabulary. These ‘tribal practices’ might even hamper a better understanding of the phenomenon that we study. The panel aims to bridge ‘tribal’ discourses concerning norm diffusion by bringing together insights and reflections on this issue from anthropology, business administration, development studies, international relations, legal studies, political science, and sociology. In the panel discussion we want to make an inventory from which disciplines and theoretical perspectives each of us seeks inspiration and insights, what puzzles we think are resolved and what pieces are missing. We want to question our own assumptions and disciplinary biases as to seek a more integral and multidisciplinary understanding of processes of norm diffusion.