Student Profile

Lacy Davey, BA(Hons) (Flinders)

Lacy completed a BA and Honours degree in International Relations at Flinders University, South Australia. She joined the Department in 2006 with the research topic of her thesis being 'The changing institution of war in international society'. The dissertation investigates historically Hedley Bull's claim that war is a social institution. It will examine the justifications given for war across time in order to highlight the rules, norms and values which make war an institution. These norms, rules and values are prominent among the wider set which constitute international society, and are examined at a range of important junctures in the history of the modern international society, spanning from the formative stages of the development of international society in late Latin Christendom, to the 'global war on terror' in the twenty-first century. Each of the junctures studies the constitution of war as an institution in two respects: how it was established and understood as an institution within international society at the time, and how it was used by international society against those outside. The relationship between these two 'faces' in the development of international society is considered essential for understanding institutional development. Lacy's broader research interests include theories of international relations, international history, military history, global security, and political philosophy.

Email: lacy.davey@anu.edu.au