On the Shores of Anarchy: Jacques Rancière in International Relations

Kyriacou, Michael (2018) On the Shores of Anarchy: Jacques Rancière in International Relations. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

In this thesis I argue for the articulation of the work of Jacques Rancière to International Relations (IR) theory. In response to the fourth “debate” I show, using Rancière that ‘anarchy’ is the ordering principle (arkhè) of IR theory and that Rancière helps us to understanding how this ordering takes place and what ramifications it has for our understanding of politics in International Relations. The thesis thus seeks to make two contributions to the field of IR: firstly, a general demonstration of the applicability of Rancièrian thinking to IR via the concept of ‘anarchy’; secondly, a Rancièrian argument about what is to count as ‘politics’ for International Relations.

My thesis is a work of theory. I start from looking at the broader literature, then work through Rancièrian theory, and finally move to highlight the role of anarchy in ordering IR. From this basis I articulate Rancière to IR through the mobilisation of his concept of ‘the distribution of the sensible’. I then work through the application of these ideas to an exemplary case study, that of migration in IR.

I argue that a Rancièrian theory of international Relations enables a re-evaluation of the divisions caused by the fourth “debate”. It shows how anarchy acts as the field’s ordering principle (arkhè) and excavate how politics functions in IR theory. Overall, then, the thesis aims to develop a critical and post-positivist understanding of politics with the potential for overcoming the ordering of the field occasioned by the ‘fourth debate’

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
Depositing User:	Jennifer Whitaker
Date Deposited:	21 Jun 2019 10:23
Last Modified:	21 Jun 2019 10:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/71510
DOI:

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