From Borders to Margins: A Deleuzian Ontology for Identities in the Postinternational Environment

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Whilst concepts of a post-international politics properly highlight the constant variance of entities in play in international relations, the approach lacks an ontology which shows how such a unstable variety of types of players can co-exist in a common field in the first place. This article draws upon Deleuze's philosophy to set out an ontology in which the continual reformulation of entities in play in ‘post-international' society can be grasped.  This entails a strategic shift from speaking about the ‘borders' between sovereign states to referring instead to the ‘margins' between a plethora of entities that are ever open to identity shifts.  The concept of the margin possesses a much wider reach than borders, and focuses continual attention on the meetings and interactions between a range of indeterminate entities whose interactions may determine both themselves and the types of entity that are in play.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAlternatives - Global Local Political
Volume34
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)17-39
Number of pages22
ISSN0304-3754
Publication statusPublished - 2009

ID: 12213159