Introduction: studying international politics through the lens of knowledge and expertise

Abstract

This Introduction presents the Handbook as both a plural archive and a comprehensive guide to the study of the production, diffusion, and contestation of knowledge in international politics. It explains how knowledge can work as a transdisciplinary paradigm for the discipline of International Relations (IR) and why the need for such a paradigm emerged. The chapter provides a brief overview of knowledge-centred studies in IR and situates them against the background of reflections about knowledge developed in other disciplines. Aiming to facilitate the readers’ engagement with the Handbook, it also sets out the analytical taxonomy guiding the Handbook’s sections. To that end, it introduces actors, practices, contexts, structures, and relations as theoretical perspectives that broadly capture different scholarly emphases in approaches to knowledge and expertise. While these perspectives are neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, they nonetheless point to important differences in scholarly thinking about the role of knowledge in international politics. Within each of these broad categories, the Handbook identifies further currents and showcases innovative research methodologies, making it the go-to resource for a comprehensive overview of the field as well as offering guidance for adopting research strategies based on case studies.