Most states have outlawed separatism, and yet the origin of the state itself has a problematic relationship with the law. Many critical law scholars have reflected on this conundrum by rethinking the foundations and boundaries of law. Their intereventions highlight the colonial context of usurpation of title, legal subject creation and self-referential logics that bootstrapped the law (and states) into being.

Authors that inspire our work include Anthony Anghie, Lea Brilmayer, Tanja Aalbers, Katharine Fortin and Michael Schoiswohl, as well as interventions that straddle International Relalations and Law, such as those by by Janis Grzybowski and Martti Koskenniemi, and Ramesh Ganohariti.