Critical Imaginations in International Relations

This exciting new text brings together in one volume an overview of the many reflections on how we might address the problems and limitations of a state-centered approach in the discipline of International Relations (IR).

The book is structured into chapters on key concepts each providing an introduction to the concept for those new to the field of critical politics – including undergraduate and postgraduate students – as well as drawing connections between concepts and thinkers that will be provocative or illuminating for more established researchers in the field. Written to a common template, each chapter gives an overview of core ideas associated with the concept; the critical potential of the concept; and key thinkers linked to the concept, seeking to address the following questions:

• How has the concept traditionally been understood?
• How has the concept come to be understood in critical thinking?
• How is the concept used in interrogating the limits of state centrism?
• What different possibilities for engaging with international relations have been envisioned through the concept?
• Why are such possibilities for alternative thinking about international relations important?
• What are some key articles and volumes related to the concept which readers can go for further research?

Drawing together some of the key thinkers in the field of critical international relations and including both established and emerging academics located in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, this book is a key resource for students and scholars alike.

Concepts included: Narrative, Borders, Power, Citizenship, Resistance, Community, Sovereignty, Creativity, Space, Globalization, Subjectivity, Knowledge Practice, Technology, Law, Time, Theory

Aoileann Ni Mhurchu is a lecturer in international politics at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the shift from modern to postmodern experiences of identity and belonging in a global context.