Eunomia is a Woman: Philip Allott and Feminism

Abstract

Is Philip Allott a feminist? There are reasons to feel that he might be. However, any intuition that Allott is a feminist or, at least, that there is an affinity or potential alliance between his project and a feminist project, must contend with his silence about women. How might we judge Allott's silence in The Health of Nations? In this article I discuss whether The Health of Nations positions Allott as a feminist and if so, what kind. In the alternative, I examine whether there is nevertheless a possible affinity or alliance between the theory that Allott elaborates in the book and some version of feminism, in particular feminist legal theory as it has developed in international law. This focus also has, I hope, the advantage of highlighting a key issue, if not the key issue, that flows from The Health of Nations: What exactly would the conversation about the best ideas of society and law that Allott desires look like?

Keywords: international law, legal theory, feminism, women