Recht als Sprachspiel

At times, the everyday praxis of international law is challenged by competing interpretations and its denial. An example being the annexation of Crimea, where the international community as well as Russia or China each justified their actions as formally legitimate. To cope with these situations and analyse its implications for the Law, this work develops an understanding of rules using pragmatist theory and Wittgenstein, that focus the “meaning in use”. Thus, on the basis of an empirically driven and reconstructive research strategy, the author spells out implications for international law as well as an alternative conceptualisation of contestation. Thereby, he overcomes a static understanding of norms that tend to favour stability over continuous change.