Queering the ‘Territorial Peace’? Queer Theory Conversing With Mainstream International Relations
Sjoberg, Laura. (2014) International Studies Review 16, no. 4
This short article engages with the possible dialogue between queer theory and mainstream International Relations (IR) theory. Sjoberg seeks to enlighten our understanding of possible interlinked understandings of concepts around peace studies, such as territorial peace and democratic peace. More specifically, Sjoberg articulates a comparative analysis of Judith Butler’s “Bodies that Matter” and Gibler’s research on territorial peace, which results in an interesting and challenging account of territorial borders as a performance of heterosexuality and masculinity. As Sjoberg argues, however, this analysis is not meant to show the superiority of one theory over another, but rather to show the “potential productivity of such engagements” (p. 608), highlighting how new, less limited approaches within IR theory and peace studies could emerge from a greater consideration of queer theory in mainstream IR.
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/24758507