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On the State of the IR Art: Problems of Self-Positioning and the Absence of Freedom

Reflections of the Outgoing President of the Nordic International Studies Association

University of Helsinki, henri.vogt{at}helsinki.fi

If we postulate that International Relations is not meeting the expectations that many have assigned to it, and that it may even be at risk of losing some of its intellectual appeal in the foreseeable future, what could the reasons be? This essay seeks to provide answers by identifying three general problems that the field currently faces, in many respects as a result of its increasing professionalization. The first is the excessive need of IR scholars to operate within the traditional parameters of the field; the second is their too weak relationship with the `real' world; and the third, the absence of freedom that undermines creative, intuitive thinking.

Key Words: academic freedom • International Relations theory • mandarins • self-conscious realism

Cooperation and Conflict, Vol. 43, No. 4, 363-372 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0010836708096880


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