Interpretative Research Design and Methods in International Relations - Einzelansicht

How does a society’s belief in ‘just war’ or a collective understanding of ‘national interest’ come about? Why do certain narratives of a nation’s grand history make sense? What explains the importance of images and which role do emotions play in international relations (IR)? Interpretive approaches in the study of IR focus on how meaning – such as the beliefs people share (or don’t share) and the language that they use – shapes social interaction. Thus, they put the meaning‐making of those studied at the centre of a research project. Across various areas of international relations, from research of international organizations, diplomacy and foreign policy, peacebuilding, and foreign aid, studies have shown how such intersubjective understandings, those ‘webs of meaning’, enable distinctive kinds of practices, relationships, political claims, and patterns of exclusion. This course familiarizes students with the so-called ‘interpretive turn’ in IR research and equips them with the toolkit to develop their own research design for a concrete research question.

What distinguishes interpretive approaches (1), how does interpretive research work (2), and what makes a ”good” interpretive analysis (3) are the three main questions which guide the seminar. Accordingly, the course is divided into three phases. In the first sessions, students gain a basic knowledge of the (epistemological and ontological) premises of interpretive inquiry and the distinctions between ”positivism” and ”post-positivism” and interpretive/positivist terminology. This first phase also unfolds the range of data accessible for interpretive research, provides an overview of some of the most pertinent methods used to analyse them, and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. In the second phase, students critically engage with existing scholarship in interpretive IR, reflect on the research strategies and methods they find, and evaluate them. The third and last phase allows students to develop their research designs for the term papers by formulating a research question, applying one of the methods learnt, and providing and receiving peer feedback throughout the process.

Introductory:

Bevir, Mark and RAW Rhodes (eds.). 2016. Routledge Handbook of Interpretive Political Science. London: Routledge.

Geertz, Clifford. 1973. ‘Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture’ in The Interpretation of Cultures, New York: Basic Books, Chapter 1.

Lynch, Cecilia. 2013. Interpreting International Politics. New York: Routledge.

Schwartz-Shea, Peregrine and Yanow, Dvora. 2012. Interpretive Research Design: Concepts and Processes. New York: Routledge.

Yanow, Dvora and Schwartz-Shea, Peregrine (eds.). 2006. Interpetation and Method: Empirical Research Methods and the Interpretive Turn. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.

Examples for discussions of methods:

Koschut, Simon. 2020. ‘A critical perspective on emotions in international relations’ in Steven C. Roach (ed.) Handbook of Critical International Relations. Cheltenham, Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing: 72–89.

Norman, Ludvig. 2021. ”Rethinking Causal Explanation in Interpretive International Studies,” European Journal of International Relations 27(3): 936 –959.

Pouliot, Vincent. 2015. ‘Practice Tracing,’ in Andrew Bennett and Jeffrey T. Checkel (eds.) Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapter 9.

Examples of applications:

Adler-Nissen, Rebecca and Alexei Tsinovoi. 2019. ”International misrecognition: The politics of humour and national identity in Israel’s public diplomacy,” European Journal of International Relations 25 (1): 3-29.

Autesserre, Séverine. 2010. The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hansen, Lene. 2006. Security as Practice. Oxon: Routledge.

Jackson Patrick T. 2006. Civilizing the Enemy: German Reconstruction and the Invention of the West. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Weldes, Jutta. 1996. ”Constructing National Interests,” European Journal of International Relations 2 (3): 275-318.

Registration for this seminar will be through PULS during the official enrollment period.

The course aims at students in the political science master programs who have already taken courses in the field of IR. 

The language of instruction is English.

Participation in class (not graded):

Preparation of required reading + active and regular participation are expected.  This involves an input during the seminar and the submission of smaller written assignments.

Paper proposal (1-2 pages): to be submitted by 16.07.2023

Summative assignment (graded), required for 6 ECTS (or depending on your programme):

Term paper (20-25 pages): to be submitted by 30.09.2023.

Please upload your term paper as a pdf-file to Moodle in the designated session. A print version is not required.

Please note that the paper examination is only possible with a valid PULS registration. If you wish to submit a term paper, please register for the module examination on PULS by 15.09.2023.