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International politics, mediation, translation, agent-structure problem
Abstract:
This introduction to the special issue “Vermittlung in der internationalen Politik” (me-
diation in international politics) maps how the notion of “mediation” brings together
recent research streams of IR theorizing that center on a relational understanding of
international politics. It teases out the similarities between research projects that use
concepts such as norms, practices, narratives, emotions, frames, and technologies to an-
alyze international relations, and thus shows how “mediation” acts as a useful umbrella
concept. The introduction charts the territory of a productive research agenda on “me-
diation” by distinguishing five research strands, which focus on an interactive under-
standing of agents and structure in the international order, and by discussing their spe-
cific understandings of “mediation” in the context of IR research: constructivist norm
research, critical theory, practice theory, IO studies, and discourse analysis. A brief in-
troduction to the papers in this special issue illustrates how they contribute to these
research strands. Ultimately, this introduction underlines the conceptual and method-
ological potential “mediation” offers continuing relational IR research as well as for
building bridges to other interdisciplinary research endeavors in the study of interna-
tional politics.
