Romantic Narratives in International Politics: Pirates, Rebels and Mercenaries

Description

Romantic Narratives in International Politics is a story about the importance of stories in International Relations (IR). It brings insights from literary studies and narratology into IR and political science by developing a new discourse analytical method of narrative analysis. Focusing on the three elements of setting, characterization and employment, the book argues that narratives are of fundamental importance for human cognition and identity construction; they help us understand the social and political world in which we live. Empirically the book looks at narratives about pirates, rebels and private military and security companies (PMSCs). It illustrates in the case of pirates and rebels that the romantic images embedded in cultural stories influence our understanding of modern piracy in places like Somalia or rebels in Libya. Dominant romantic tales marginalize other, less flattering, stories about these actors, in which they are constituted as terrorists and made responsible for human rights violations. In contrast, in the case of PMSCs in Iraq the absence of such romantic cultural stories makes it difficult for such actors to successfully narrate themselves as romantic heroes to the public. This book will be of interest to students and teachers of international relations, political science and cultural studies. Cover Half-title Title page Copyright information Dedication Table of contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Introduction: once upon a time … Discourse analysis and the narrative turn Political elite, media narratives and the role of culture Structure of the book 1 Narrative analysis as an approach in IR The concept of narrative and a story of its travel Literary studies and narratology Narrative psychology and cognitive narratology Historical narratives Narrative analysis and constructivism in IR The construction of social reality and the notion of setting The constitution of identity and characterization The co-constitution of agent and structure and the role of emplotment Practical application of narrative analysis The consequences of and reasons for narratives Narrative consequences and the question of causality Reasons for narrative dominance and marginalization Romantic narratives Romantic settings Romantic characterization Romantic emplotment Conclusion Notes 2 German narratives of the pirate in Somalia Romantic narratives of the pirate Historical romantic stories of the pirate The literary pirate The popular pirate German media narratives on piracy Setting Characterization Emplotment An alternative story: linking piracy and terrorism Similarities between piracy and terrorism Cooperation between pirates and terrorists The use of pirate tactics by terrorists Political piracy The marginalization of the ‘terror-pirate’ story Conclusion Notes 3 British narratives of the rebel in Libya Rebellion, revolution and romance The romantic Arab rebel? British media narratives on rebellion in Libya Setting Characterization Emplotment Romantic narratives on Libya among the political elite Setting Characterization Emplotment Alternative yet marginal stories of rebellion The marginalization of crimes and human rights violations by rebels The marginalization of a link between rebels and al-Qaeda Conclusion Notes 4 US narratives of private military and security companies in Iraq Anti-mercenary narratives A historical narrative dislike of mercenaries Mercenaries in international law Mercenaries in literature US media narratives on PMSCs Setting Characterization Emplotment Marginalized romantic stories about PMSCs A story about PMSCs as brave patriots A story about PMSCs as noble humanitarians The persistence of the mercenary link in the media, politics and pop culture The mercenary narrative in the US media The mercenary narrative in US political debate The mercenary narrative in international law The mercenary narrative in language and culture Conclusion Notes Conclusion: the end The story of the book Marginalized and dominant narratives on romanticization Narrator-based approaches Story-based approaches Audience-based approach Beyond the romantic story: the tragedy of disaster References Index