Myth And Narrative In International Politics

This book systematically explores how different theoretical concepts of myth can be utilised to interpretively explore contemporary international politics. From the international community to warlords, from participation to effectiveness – international politics is replete with powerful narratives and commonly held beliefs that qualify as myths. Rebutting the understanding of myth-as-lie, this collection of essays unearths the ideological, naturalising, and depoliticising effect of myths. Myth and Narrative in International Politics: Interpretive Approaches to the Study of IR offers conceptual and methodological guidance on how to make sense of different myth theories and how to employ them in order to explore the powerful collective imaginations and ambiguities that underpin international politics today. Further, it assembles case studies of specific myths in different fields of International Relations, including warfare, global governance, interventionism, development aid, and statebuilding. The findings challenge conventional assumptions in International Relations, encouraging academics in IR and across a range of different fields and disciplines, including development studies, global governance studies, strategic and military studies, intervention and statebuilding studies, and peace and conflict studies, to rethink ideas that are widely unquestioned by policy and academic communities.

This innovative Handbook offers a new perspective on the cutting-edge conceptual advances that have shaped – and continue to shape – the field of intervention and statebuilding.

This book explores the origin and propagation of myths in international relations. The 16 contributions demonstrate how formative historical events are often transformed into handy cliche s which are subsequently drawn on by politicians and journalists who apply these simplistic patterns to current events. Myths discussed include the Spanish Civil War, Yalta, British difference, and the German Sonderweg. The book focuses on the relationship of these myths to current policy-making. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

- How does politics affect you in everyday life?- What is power and who has it?- Has the age of empire come to an end?- Is capitalism the only viable economic system?Politics is all around us. Global Politics: Myths and Mysteries teaches students that their understanding of the political world is already theoretical, and equips them with the tools to become critical and independent thinkers. Unlike other textbooks on the market, students are invited to activelyengage with the questions that shape international politics, such as 'what power relations are you taking part in?'; 'which actors besides the state are important at the global level?' and 'what power do you have to bring about change in global politics?'.This innovative pedagogical approach unveils a series of entrenched myths and mysteries in global politics in an accessible and engaging way. The text is structured into eleven chapters that cover key issues or 'myths' relating to global politics; students are invited to think critically andtheoretically about each of these, whilst drawing on their existing knowledge of politics.A range of learning features throughout, such as integrated case studies, and reflective activities, help readers to build a foundational knowledge of key concepts in international relations. In addition, a suite of accompanying online resources - including web links, additional case studies andreading lists - help students to take their learning further.Digital formats and resourcesGlobal Politics: Myths and Mysteries is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources.DT The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with hyperlinks to carefully selected lists of web-links, and an additional reading list, to help you broaden your knowledge and understanding of international relations: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooksDT Student resources: an library of web links, an annotated reading guide, and additional case studies are available online.Lecturer resources: seminar questions and activities, essay questions, and PowerPoint slides for each chapter are available online.

This book presents an analysis of how metaphors are essential elements in the study of international relations. It acknowledges the fact that theory and practice in international relations often rest on common metaphorical concepts which have implications for the ways people around the world pursue their lives. Because of the increased attention metaphors have received as integral elements in political discourse, there is a need to investigate metaphorical concepts that are not neutral in their implications for understanding international relations. Inasmuch as government policy is shaped by metaphorical concepts that originate in the academic realm, and given that scholarly works are therefore partially involved in inspiring policy, the author subjects a range of metaphors in international relations theory to critical interrogation.

In this book, originally published in 2007, Chiara Bottici argues for a philosophical understanding of political myth. Bottici demonstrates that myth is a process, one of continuous work on a basic narrative pattern that responds to a need for significance. Human beings need meaning in order to master the world they live in, but they also need significance in order to live in a world that is less indifferent to them. This is particularly true in the realm of politics. Political myths are narratives through which we orient ourselves, and act and feel about our political world. Bottici shows that in order to come to terms with contemporary phenomena, such as the clash between civilizations, we need a Copernican revolution in political philosophy. If we want to save reason, we need to look at it from the standpoint of myth.

This handbook offers a unique approach to the question: How do scholars write the future of global politics? Written in futur antérieur style, around the 200-year anniversary of the birth of International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline, the contributions engage in world-building and imagine different futures of IR. Set in a multiverse, 23 chapters draw on a range of possible themes and imaginaries, for instance post-pandemic conditions, the Anthropocene, and not least academic practices and the role of researchers. A concluding chapter anchors these explorations in contemporary discussions. The book mirrors the format and style of existing handbooks, combining outlines and discussions of theories, structures, processes, and core issues in IR with an academic science fiction account of how these might play out over the course of the next century. In doing so, the book challenges IR and provides alternative imaginaries, rather than predicting future conditions for all humanity. The book invites readers to reflect on how thinking about the future has become an increasingly radical, but more than ever necessary act.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-SA 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. This book examines the role of imagination in initiating, contesting, and changing the pathways of global cooperation. Building on carefully contextualized empirical cases from diverse policy fields, regions, and historical periods, it highlights the agency of a wide range of actors in reflecting on past and present experiences and imagining future ways of collective problem solving.