Description
Since the early 2000s, Ontological Security Studies (OSS) have significantly contributed to the understanding of identity, emotions, and agency in world politics. The plurality of the field is shaped by three “schools of thought” that, although far from mutually exclusive, have explored different theoretical/analytical approaches to the process of ontological security. The so-called sociological school understands ontological security primarily as embedded in the social structures constitutive of the shared norms that underpin individual attitudes. It largely relies on Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory, with an analytical focus on role of national biographies and trust. The existentialist school shifts the theoretical focus and analytical direction towards individual anxiety, the very notion of being and its finitude. Theoretical inspiration lies on the works of Heidegger, Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich. The Post-structuralists propose an ontological view that moves beyond overarching social structures to understand subjectivity through immanent discursive constructions of affective/emotional attachment. This schools borrows its theoretical framework mainly from the works of Jacques Lacan.
This panel seeks to contribute to development of these schools, illuminating their overlapping dimensions, mutual contribution, and points of contention. It welcomes a broad range of perspectives revolving around, but not limited to, the schools above mentioned. These encompass working papers, thesis chapters or book sections, including theoretical, policy-oriented, and empirical work.
