Christopher S. Browning's Books

Vicarious Identity in International Relations

Self, Security, and Status on the Global Stage

By: Christopher S. Browning,Pertti Joenniemi,Brent J. Steele

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Vicarious Identity in International Relations

Self, Security, and Status on the Global Stage

By: Christopher S. Browning,Pertti Joenniemi,Brent J. Steele

Vicarious identification, or "living through another" is a familiar social-psychological concept. Shaped by insecurity and a lack of self-fulfilment, it refers to the processes by which actors gain a sense of self-identity, purpose, and self-esteem through appropriating the achievements and experiences of others. As this book argues, it is also an under-appreciated and increasingly relevant strategy of international relations. According to this theory, states identify and establish special relationships with other nations (often in an aspirational way) in order to strengthen their sense of self, security, and status on the global stage. This identification is also central to the politics of citizenship and can be manipulated by states to justify their global ambitions. For example, why might the United States look at Israel as a model for its own foreign policies? What shaped the politics of Brexit and why is the United Kingdom so attached to its transatlantic "special relationship" with the United States? And, why did Denmark so enthusiastically ally with the United States during the global War on Terror? Vicarious identity, as the authors argue, is at the core of these international dynamics. Vicarious Identity in International Relations examines the ways in which vicarious identity is relevant to global politics: across individuals; between citizens and states; and across states, regional communities, or civilizations. It looks at a range of cases (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark), which illustrate that vicarious political identity is dynamic and emerges in different contexts, but particularly when nations face crisis, both internally and externally. In addition, the book outlines a qualitative methodology for analyzing vicarious identity at the collective level.

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Page Count

257

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197526403

ISBN 13

9780197526408

Nation Branding and International Politics

By: Christopher S. Browning

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Nation Branding and International Politics

By: Christopher S. Browning

Nation branding is regarded as essential for competitiveness among countries, but the idea of branding nations is often derided as lacking seriousness. While nation branding has been on the radar of scholars of marketing, communication, and media studies, as well as political geography for decades, it has only made a small dent into the international relations field. In Nation Branding and International Politics Christopher Browning argues that international relations should take nation branding seriously. Nation branding not only involves the issues of culture, identity, and status – which are of principal concern to IR – but it is also a different and potentially fruitful way of reconceptualizing statehood. Mobilizing work on ontological security, anxiety, status, and distinction, and grounding the analysis in a broader historical context, Browning finds that nation branding is politically significant, though not necessarily for the reasons its advocates claim. Specifically, the book raises important questions about nation branding’s influence on the constitution of national identity, the reframing of citizenship, and the topography of contemporary geopolitics. Nation Branding and International Politics considers how status, prestige, and reputation are constructed and maintained in international society, and how, perhaps, this construction and maintenance may be changing – just as the practice of nation branding is changing.

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Page Count

270

Publisher

McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published Date

ISBN 10

022801946X

ISBN 13

9780228019466

Constructivism, Narrative and Foreign Policy Analysis

A Case Study of Finland

By: Christopher S. Browning

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Constructivism, Narrative and Foreign Policy Analysis

A Case Study of Finland

By: Christopher S. Browning

Building on constructivist approaches to international relations this book develops a narrative theory of identity, action and foreign policy, which is then applied to account for the evolution of Finnish foreign policy. The book adopts an innovative approach by showing how foreign policy orientations need to be seen as grounded in overlapping and competing sets of identity narratives that reappear in different forms through history. By emphasising the dynamism implicit within identity narratives the book not only challenges traditional rationalist materialist approaches to foreign policy analysis, but also the current tendency to depict the story of Finnish foreign policy, identity and history as one of a gradual move towards a Western location. Rather the book emphasises elements of multiplicity and contingency, whilst re-establishing foreign policy as a highly political process concerned with power and the right to define reality and national subjectivity.

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Page Count

332

Publisher

Peter Lang

Published Date

ISBN 10

3039105191

ISBN 13

9783039105199

International Security: A Very Short Introduction

By: Christopher S. Browning

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International Security: A Very Short Introduction

By: Christopher S. Browning

The subject of international security is never out of the headlines. The subjects of war and peace, military strategy, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and revisionist states remain central to the discussion, but burgeoning concerns such as climate change, migration, poverty, health, and international terrorism have complicated the field. So what really matters? The traditional prioritization of state security or the security needs of individuals, humanity, and the biosphere? And where do the problems lie? Are states themselves as much a part of the problem as the solution for people's security needs? With globalization, the international security environment has become more interdependent than ever before with the establishment of complex networks that make responding to and managing security challenges increasingly difficult, but increasingly necessary. This Very Short Introduction shows that international security is both vibrant and deeply contested, with stakeholders frequently in disagreement over questions of priority and approach. Christopher S. Browning outlines the nature of the key debates about contemporary international security challenges, and discusses the inherent difficulties that exist in tackling them. He also asks to what extent such debates are infused with questions of power, politics, justice, morality, and responsibility. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Page Count

177

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191645621

ISBN 13

9780191645624

From Fragmentation to Wholeness

The Black South African Family Under Seige

By: Keith Umonwabisi Christopher Appolis

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From Fragmentation to Wholeness

The Black South African Family Under Seige

By: Keith Umonwabisi Christopher Appolis

This book proposes the creation of a family therapy model. The proposed model would stem from the particular circumstances of Black South African (or Azanian) families and would be context- and culture-specific. The author provides a documented account of the socio-economic and socio-political circumstances of the Azanian family. This account reveals the inextricable linkage between the Azanians family fragmentation, their condition of deprivation, and their perpetual experience of emotional upheaval. Next, the author argues that the same socio-economic and socio-political aspects which impinge upon the Azanian family are actually central to the family therapy theory and model, and, therefore, must not be ignored. The argument presented in this book demonstrates to readers how a community can be lead out of oppression and toward wholeness. This book will appeal to black and white academians and practitioners of therapy. From Fragmentation to Wholeness will be particularly appropriate for classes studying cultural diversity or the foundations for counseling and therapy. Contents: Foreword; Acknowledgments; List of Tables; List of Figures; The South African Scenario; The Genesis of Fragmentation; Fragmentation of Family; Family Therapy: A Critique of Two Major Schools.

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