This interdisciplinary exploration of the modern historiography of international law invites a diverse assessment of the indissoluble unity of the old and the new in the most global of all legal disciplines. The study of the history of international law does not only serve a better understanding of how international law has evolved to become what it is and what it is not. Its histories, which rethink the past in the present, also influence our perception of contemporary matters in international law and our understandings of how they may potentially unfold. This multi-perspectival enquiry into the dominant modes of international legal history and its fundamental debates may also help students of both international law and history to identify the historical approaches that best suit their international legal-historical perspectives and best address their historical and legal research questions.

Winner, 2021 Han Depei Law Prize, Han Depei Foundation

'A fascinating and comprehensive analysis of scholarly trends in international legal history. In recent decades, the historical study of international law has expanded dramatically. De la Rasilla surveys the many perspectives and methodologies brought to the subject, offering both a guide and a thoughtful analytic perspective of his own.'

David Kennedy - Manley O. Hudson Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Institute of Global Law and Policy, Harvard Law School

'In recent years, the interest in the history of international law as a field of academic scrutiny has exploded. The rapid expansion of international law’s historiography and the proliferation of different approaches and methodologies have created an urgent need for guidance for the scholar who wants to survey the field and plot the course of her own contributions. In combining insightful discussions with an impressive knowledge of older and recent literature, Ignacio de la Rasilla has provided them with both a compass and a map.'

Randall Lesaffer - Professor of Legal History at the Universities of Leuven and Tilburg, and Series Editor of The Cambridge History of International Law

'Ignacio de la Rasilla has done a great scholarly service by digesting and organising the vast and various literatures on history and international law. His lucid, learned and comprehensive book is now an indispensable guide to this burgeoning field.'

David Armitage - Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History, Harvard University and Affiliated Faculty, Harvard Law School