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This editorial introduction explores the emergence of authoritarian lawlessness and its implications for the concept of law.

February 22, 2026Liverpool Law Review0 citationsOpen Access

Editorial Introduction: The Vertigo of the 21 st Century and the End of Law

RLRonnie Lippens

Key Points

This editorial introduction explores the emergence of authoritarian lawlessness and its implications for the concept of law.
Introduced themes using W.G. Sebald’s Vertigo as a literary reference.
Presented insights from five contributions in the special issue.
Highlighted the limitations of academia in addressing contemporary issues.
Identified a connection between current societal dynamics and elements of lawlessness.
Emphasized the value of literary perspectives in making sense of modern challenges.

Abstract

In this editorial introduction the overall theme of the special issue is introduced. The emergence of elements of a specific form of authoritarian lawlessness, and the ‘End of Law’ that seems to be part and parcel of it, are introduced with the aid of W.G. Sebald’s (semi-)autobiographical Vertigo, which was published in the year just before the turn of this century. It is very hard to put a finger on what exactly is going on in this vertiginous century of ours. Where Academia often fails though, novelists might be better placed to make sense of it all, as the five contributions to this issue make serious attempts to demonstrate.

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