Fighting for Status in International Relations - Dr Pål Roeren
The course examines the relationship between wars and social status in international politics. From sociology and psychology we know that people are willing to bicker, quarrel, or even fight to gain higher status or to modify a perceived lack of status. The same also seems to be true about states (and other actors) in international politics. Focusing on key theories and cases, we will survey scholarship that questions why states fight because of status, whether they receive more recognition from participating in them, and who the relevant audiences for such belligerence are. You will develop an understanding of core debates and concepts on social status in International Relations and the myriad of potential ways that status-concerns influences, limits, and exacerbates conflict in international politics.