The Sea and International Relations

(Hardback)

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This path-breaking collection opens up the conversation about the sea and International Relations and probes the value of analysing the sea in terms of International Relations.

While the worlds oceans cover more than seventy percent of its surface, the sea has largely vanished as an object of enquiry in IR, being treated either as a corollary of land or as time. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from IR, Historical Sociology, Blue Humanities and Critical Ocean Studies, The sea and International Relations breaks with this trend of oceanic amnesia, and kickstarts a theoretical, conceptual and empirical discussion about the sea and IR, offering novel takes on the spatiality of world politics by highlighting theoretical puzzles, analysing broad historical perspectives and addressing contemporary challenges.

Reviews

'This beautifully edited book tells a new and incredibly rich story of the sea. Each chapter not only unsettles our geopolitical imaginaries, but also invites us to think deeper about the ways in which oceans and waterways continue to shape the conditions of possibility of world politics. This is an outstanding volume that is likely to make a splash in our discipline of International Relations.'
Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Copenhagen University

'International Relations mostly treats the politics of the sea as a background constant, thanks to two centuries of Anglo-American naval hegemony. But no states naval hegemony is eternal, which makes it all the more interesting to explore the long history of high-seas politics, as this volume does. Collectively, the authors and editors bring a wealth of knowledge to a fascinating topic.'
Jeff Colgan, Brown University

'The sea and International Relations is a terrific volume that masterfully calls out International Relations (IR) terrestrial bias, and makes a compelling case for extending IRs conceptual and empirical horizons seawards. Pirates and privateers, merchants, revolutionaries and empire-builders all feature in a scintillating series of interventions that together match formidable historical breadth with startling contemporary relevance. Anchors away, IR scholars its time to set sail!'
Andrew Phillips, University of Queensland

'The sea and International Relations offers a collection of interesting contributions and new strategies for the discipline of International Relations (IR) to better engage with the sea and the oceans. This edited volume brings together contributors with varying research interests, from maritime security to the history of empires and from privateering to the mobility and riches of the ocean. Each contributor offers their distinctive perspective on the role of the sea/ocean in our theorizing on world politics.'
Milla Vaha, International Affairs 99: 2, 2023

Author Bio

Benjamin de Carvalho is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Relations

Halvard Leira is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Relations