How Identity Shapes International Relations — Richard Ned Lebow

This episode of The IR thinker explores the role of identity and identification in international relations with Professor Richard Ned Lebow, examining how memory, self perception and corporate identity shape state behaviour and political order. The discussion engages with constructivist theory and its critics, considers non Western perspectives on identity, and reflects on the implications for conflict management and institutions such as the United Nations.Richard Ned LebowProfessor Richard Ned Lebow is Emeritus Professor of International Political Theory in the War Studies Department at King’s College London, Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His work spans international relations, the causes of war, decision making, conflict management and both ancient and modern political theory, with a particular focus on the politics and ethics of identity.Publications:National Identities and International RelationsA Cultural Theory of International RelationsThe Politics and Ethics of IdentityConstructing Cause in International RelationsContent00:00 - Introduction02:23 - Unravelling Identity and Identification in International Relations15:37 - The Nexus of Identification and State Behaviour19:56 - The Significance of Understanding Identity21:40 - Methodologies for Investigating Identity and Identification Concepts22:54 - Perspectives on Identity in Non-Western Scholarship26:31 - Memory, Identity, and Self-Perception34:30 - States’ Collective Memory and Identity36:24 - Corporate Identity in International Context39:46 - Political Order: Interplay with Identity and Identification48:03 - Ned Lebow’s Constructivist Insights and Critiques52:42 - The UN and Constructivism’s Role in Conflict ResolutionFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.