A Theory of Contestation—A Concise Summary of Its Argument and Concepts

Wiener reflects on writing her book A Theory of Contestation in 2013. This book is a shorter and more programmatic follow-up to an earlier book, The Invisible Constitution of Politics: Contested Norms and International Encounter, and the decision to write it was triggered by the motivation to rescue the concept of "contestation" from becoming meaningless. The book holds, the concept's analytical utility lies in understanding the distinct meanings of contestation as both a social practice of merely objecting to norms (principles, rules, or values) by rejecting them or refusing to implement them, and as a mode of critique through critical engagement in a discourse about them.