Description: This book brings together the key scholars in the international practice debate to demonstrate its strengths as an innovative research perspective. The contributions show the benefit of practice theories in the study of phenomena in international security, international political economy and international organisation, by directing attention to concrete and observable everyday practices that shape international outcomes. The chapters exemplify the cross-overs and relations to other theoretical approaches, and thereby establish practice theories as a distinct IR perspective. Each chapter investigates a key concept that plays an important role in international relations theory, such as power, norms, knowledge, change or cognition. Taken together, the authors make a strong case that practice theories allow to ask new questions, direct attention to uncommon empirical material, and reach different conclusions about international relations phenomena. The book is a must read for anyone interested in recent international relations theory and the actual practices of doing global politics.
Brief description: Alena Drieschova is Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Cambridge. She is currently working on her book manuscript, which provides a macro-historical analysis of international order stability and change based on changes in material culture.
Review Quotes: 'A first-rate volume on the present and future directions of the study of practices by many of its most important exponents.' Michael Barnett, Professor of International Relations, George Washington University