Abstract
The concept of hegemony has regained attention from various theoretical perspectives in International Relations. This article argues that IR-poststructuralism can offer an independent perspective on the production of hegemonies in international politics. Based on IR-poststructuralism and poststructuralist discourse theory, it develops a conceptual framework and an associated methodological approach for the analysis of international hegemonies in concrete discourses. Thereby, the article conceptualises international hegemonies as the creation of a specific type of collective identity while arguing that for hegemonies to emerge, both the creation of an antagonistic Other and a vision of the opposed Self are necessary. The workings of the conceptual framework are illustrated with a comparative reconstruction of United Nations discourses on international terrorism and drug prohibition from 1961 to 2011.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 65-90 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Millennium |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 11 Jul 2012 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2012 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsParts of this research have been generously supported by the German Research Foundation. I would like to thank Cornelia Brüll, Anne Koch, Stephan Stetter, the anonymous reviewers and
most notably Frank Sauer for their constructive and helpful comments on different versions of this article.
