TY - JOUR
T1 - What is a minor international theory?
T2 - On the limits of ‘Critical International Relations’
AU - Michelsen, Nicholas
PY - 2020/10/6
Y1 - 2020/10/6
N2 - This article argues that ‘Critical International Relations,’ often counterpoised to ‘mainstream IR,’ has come to function as a major theoretical category in its own right. It argues that critique involves ‘minor theorising,’ defined as the practice of disturbing settled theoretical assumptions in the discipline. The article examines the role and significance of ‘minor theories’ in the context of ongoing debates about Critical IR. It argues that critique is defined by context, and is politically and ethically ambiguous. The article concludes that the scope for critique could be advanced if the terms ‘Critical IR’ and ‘Critical IR Scholar’ are dropped from scholarly parlance.
AB - This article argues that ‘Critical International Relations,’ often counterpoised to ‘mainstream IR,’ has come to function as a major theoretical category in its own right. It argues that critique involves ‘minor theorising,’ defined as the practice of disturbing settled theoretical assumptions in the discipline. The article examines the role and significance of ‘minor theories’ in the context of ongoing debates about Critical IR. It argues that critique is defined by context, and is politically and ethically ambiguous. The article concludes that the scope for critique could be advanced if the terms ‘Critical IR’ and ‘Critical IR Scholar’ are dropped from scholarly parlance.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092164700&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1755088220956680
DO - 10.1177/1755088220956680
M3 - Article
SN - 1755-0882
VL - 0
SP - 0
JO - Journal of International Political Theory
JF - Journal of International Political Theory
IS - 0
ER -