Overview
The return of war to Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has paradoxically put international news back at the center of everyday life in European societies, while at the same time privileging analyses that are more often than not geopolitical and military concerning the origin and development of the conflict. However, since the end of the Second World War, a range of theories and the sociology of international relations have not only enabled us to gain a better understanding of global and international phenomena in times of peace and war, but have also had major implications for the ways of thinking and the know-how of those responsible for conducting international affairs on a day-to-day basis.
The aim of this course is to highlight how international relations theories are the fruit of a complex socio-history that questions the construction of international activity by modern states, and how the Cold War contributed to the development of a new social science discipline. From another angle, by analyzing international relations from below, it will also aim to better understand how the tools of sociology and political science can be used to study international and global phenomena.
How did theories of international relations develop to study international issues after 1945? What are the contributions of the sociology of international relations? Is it necessary to invent new theoretical frameworks to understand phenomena embedded in globalization, or should we simply adapt the tools of political sociology to phenomena whose scale is changing, but not their nature?
To answer these questions, this seminar proposes a series of 12 sessions, each made up of three parts: 1) a lecture on the theories, approaches and methods of international relations; 2) a weekly reading of an article to be discussed in class; 3) a presentation aimed at applying the theories and methods of international relations studies to a concrete, contemporary subject.