Description
Narrative approaches to global politics have emerged to complement and rethink the ways in which International Studies produces, legitimates and circulates knowledge. Since the so-called ‘narrative turn’ (Roberts 2006) in International Relations, narratives have been used as sources of data, method of conducting international relations, and a type of scholarly intervention (Freistein, Gadinger and Growth 2024). This roundtable discusses the present role of narratives in research and explores the frames and opportunities enabled by narrative-based methods to reimagine International Studies in the next 50 years. The speakers in this roundtable will address questions such as: How do narrative method and theory currently contribute to International Studies? What opportunities and limitations are associated with these interventions? What stories does International Studies tell of the discipline and its future? How could narrative approaches contribute towards more plural, relational, and situated forms of knowledge? What institutional and methodological innovations are needed to realise the opportunities of these approaches? The roundtable seeks to position narrative inquiry as a critical intervention and a creative horizon for an International Studies discipline that continues to expand and diversify in order to explain, understand and respond to the complex global events in the future.
The speakers’ research focuses on global crises such as climate change, war, and the challenge of establishing peace. They bring forth interdisciplinary perspectives at the intersection of social, political and climate science and policy. The insights in this roundtable connect scholars across career stages and different types of higher education institutions and include:
Professor Miriam Prys-Hansen, GIGA, Hamburg
Professor Nick Caddick, Anglia Ruskin University
Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Royal Holloway University of London
Dr Mirko Palestrino, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Anna Katila, City St George’s, University of London
Chair: Dr Alexandria Innes, City St George’s, University of London
