In search of Paulus Vladimiri: Canon, reception, and the (in)conceivability of an Eastern European ‘founding father’ of international law

Abstract While many international lawyers are familiar with Francisco de Vitoria (1483–1546), very few have even heard of Paulus Vladimiri (1370–1435) – a Polish priest and jurist who made striking similar arguments to on legal universality the rights non-Christians full century before Vitoria. This divergence consciousness, I argue, provides unique opportunity explore questions canon, reception, role ‘founding fathers’ within thought. Centring as an ‘Eastern European’ figure, argue that his non-reception is largely result how Eastern Europe implicitly functions distinctly liminal space thought makes any possible father’ from this region immensely difficult imagine. examine dynamic through differing postwar efforts jurists Kazimierz Grzybowski C. H. Alexandrowicz include canon. In examining background structures twentieth-century law, conclude that, in manner directly connected liminality Europe, neither Soviet nor Third World Western imaginations could easily receive their fundamentally political narratives normative order shaped approaches. However, despite historic non-reception, Vladimiri, question more generally, holds great promise our current global moment. Particularly, engaging Europe’s character offers sociologically grounded alternative reductionist Schmittian view law product inescapable conflict world exclusionary ‘greater spaces’.