Table Of ContentInternational Practice Theory
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0001
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0001
International
Practice Theory: New
Perspectives
Christian Bueger
Cardiff University, UK
and
Frank Gadinger
Centre for Global Cooperation Research,
University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0001
© Christian Bueger and Frank Gadinger 2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-39552-8
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
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permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published by 2014
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
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Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
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ISBN: 978-1-137-39553-5 PDF
ISBN: 978-1-349-48421-8
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bueger, Christian, 1975– author.
International practice theory : new perspectives / Christian Bueger and Frank
Gadinger.
pages cm
1. International relations – Philosophy. 2. International relations – Social
aspects. 3. Political sociology. I. Gadinger, Frank, author. II. Title.
JZ1251.B84 2014
327.101—dc23 2014034497
www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137395535
Contents
Acknowledgments vi
1 Introducing International Practice
Theory 1
2 Situating Practice Theory in Social
Theory and International Relations 8
3 Core Approaches in International
Practice Theory 21
4 Conceptual Challenges of International
Practice Theory 59
5 Towards Praxiography: Research Strategies
and Techniques 76
6 After the Practice Turn –
In Conclusion 97
References 105
Index 124
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0001 v
Acknowledgments
This book is the outcome of an intellectual journey that
brought us to different places and led us to discover
thinkers across disciplines. Various conversations have
shaped our thinking about what practice theory is and
what we can do with it in International Relations (IR).
The first ideas for writing this book emerged from a
discussion in a corner bar in the suburbs of Florence.
Back then, both of us were fascinated by the alternative
universe that contemporary social theory provides to
understand international politics, especially if compared
to the narrow spectrum that classical IR theory has on
offer. However, when first embarking on this intellectual
quest, we occasionally thought we were heading in
diverging directions by thinking about different prob-
lems such as materiality, practical knowledge, reflexivity,
justification or narrativity and in discovering new authors
from other disciplinary contexts. Ultimately, we always
noticed that the sometimes hidden intellectual spirit
behind our search was the priority of practice in social
life. “Practice theory” in IR has seen a similar evolution
to our own experience. What was once a sort of intel-
lectual stranger is now seen increasingly as a familiar
body of thought whose core insights are of immediate
relevance for the discipline. It is our impression that the
connections that the idea of centering theory in practice
provides are, however, still underestimated. With this
book we hope to be able to make some of these connec-
tions more visible and indeed also more plausible.
Often we find that researchers prefer to develop niches,
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0002
Acknowledgments vii
in arguing for the superiority of this or that perspective – whether
it is Bourdieusan praxeology, Actor–Network Theory, Relationalism
or Narrative theory – rather than elaborating on the grander picture.
While our interpretation of what practice theory is, or perhaps should
be, is, of course, also restrictive, the goal of this book is to outline
how perspectives hang together, and how a set of common challenges
– whether ontological or methodological – exists. These challenges
provide a common ground, and are an invitation to appreciate the
tensions between different theoretical perspectives and positions. At
the same time, we hope that this book also provides an intelligible
introduction for those new to practice theoretical thought. Our goal is
to make the core assumptions and insights from international practice
theory accessible and provide guidance of how to pursue a practice-
theoretical research project. Finally, with this book we hope to spark
more dialogue between IR and the different disciplines concerned
about practice, including, but not limited to, sociology, cultural stud-
ies, policy studies, organization studies or anthropology.
Conversations with a range of individuals have been instrumen-
tal in writing this book. We had the pleasure to talk over different
aspects reflected in the book in discussions with Emanuel Adler,
Morten Skumsrud Andersen, Trine Villumsen Berling, Richard
Freeman, Inanna Hamati-Ataya, Gunther Hellmann, Friedrich
Kratochwil, Xymena Kurowska, Jorg Kustermans, Anna Leander,
Maximilian Mayer, Christian Meyer, Iver Neumann, Vincent Pouliot,
Peer Schouten, Ole Jacob Sending, Peter Sutch, Hendrik Wagenaar,
William Walters, Dvora Yanow, and Taylan Yildiz. Felix Bethke,
Elisa Wynne-Hughes, Holger Niemann, and Sebastian Jarzebski have
provided detailed comments on parts of the manuscript. We are grate-
ful to Christopher Smith and Jan Stockbruegger not only for research
assistance, but also for providing detailed comments on the entire
manuscript.
Christian Bueger acknowledges the support from the Centre for
Advanced Security Theory, Copenhagen University, where parts of
this manuscript were written. Writing up, moreover, benefitted from a
grant by the Economic and Social Research Council [ES/K008358/1] and
the support of the Department of Politics and International Relations,
Cardiff University.
Frank Gadinger would like to thank his colleagues and fellows at the
Centre for Global Cooperation Research, University of Duisburg-Essen,
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0002
viii Acknowledgments
for providing him with a stimulating work environment and rich discus-
sions while writing this manuscript.
Parts of Chapter 5 and 6 draw on Bueger, Christian, “Pathways to
Practice: Praxiography and International Politics,” European Political
Science Review 6(3), 383–406, 2014.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0002
1
Introducing International
Practice Theory
Abstract: International Relations scholars increasingly are
interested in practice. Following a larger turn to practices
in the social sciences, a broad movement of scholars aims
at studying practices. In this introduction we discuss what
is fascinating about practice. International Practice Theory
offers a genuine novel perspective on politics and international
relations and comes along with a range of promises to analyze
the world differently. We also provide an overview of the
different strategies we adopt to explain what International
Practice Theory is and does.
Keywords: International Relations Theory; Practice
Theory; Practice Turn
Bueger, Christian and Frank Gadinger. International
Practice Theory: New Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2014. doi: 10.1057/9781137395535.0003.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137395535.0003
