Description
The subject, and subjectivity, come ready-made in international studies and ontological security theory. However, this paper suggests that when concepts of fantasy and desire permeate our understandings of ontological security, then we cannot assume the primacy of a pre-discursive subject. Giddensian-inspired OSS has looked to the practices subjects undertake in order to move towards positions of ontological security, and assumes that the subject has a prior desire for ontological security. This paper interrogates subject-centred approaches to ontological security by challenging the presupposition of the subject. Therefore, the question is not ‘what drives subjects to seek ontological security and what practises follow from this?’, but rather ‘what does subjectivity do for ontological security?’ Utilising a framework informed by Lacanian International Relations, this paper argues that the subject and subjectivities are fantastical constructions that offer promises of ontological security, without pre-existence of the subject itself. Therefore, this paper offers an analysis of the production of specific subjectivities and their relation to ontological security speaking practices. This paper focusses on the roles that ‘pills’, perceived revelatory moments that showcase the truth about society, have in producing specific far-right subjectivities. Understanding subjectivity as a fantasy facilitates a starting point for ontological security beyond the subject, that nonetheless appreciates the psychological provisions of the concept of subjectivity.
