Unsettling Sovereignty

Unsettling the Centralized Mindset

Researchers in the field of adaptive behavior are quite familiar with the idea of higher-order complex global patterns emerging from the lower-level simple local interactions of components in a distributed system. Our artificial ants form colonies and self-organized foraging expeditions; our robots and simulated birds flock and cooperate on tasks; our genetic algorithm populations form species ...

Unsettling standards: the biological age controversy

One key debate within the sociology of aging and the life-course in the past decade has been focused on understanding the extent to which life course processes have become de-standardised. However, little attention has been devoted to the infrastructural processes that would support such a transition. This paper focuses on one of such standards, ‘biological age’, and the 40 year controversy aro...

Beyond Epistemic Sovereignty

Seigniorage or Sovereignty?

In this chapter, I will explore two competing approaches to analysis of national currency emission. I will call one the seigniorage view, to be contrasted with what I will call the sovereignty view. Before proceeding, let me say that I am not interested in presenting either a historical analysis, nor will I pursue the etymology of these terms. I will first briefly define the terms as I will be ...

Sovereignty over Certain Frontier

The frontier between the two States in the area where the two plots in dispute are situated presents certain unusual features. Whilst the frontier in general is a linear one, in the area north of the Belgian town of Turnhout there are a number of enclaves formed by the Belgian commune of BaerleDuc and the Netherlands commune of Baarle-Nassau. The territory of the Belgian commune of Baerle-Duc i...