SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This contribution takes up the journal’s mission to showcase foundational theoretical research by and for German scholars of International Relations (IR) and, thereby, to function as an expression oft the ‚identity’ oft the German IR community. My impression is that, overall, German IR is less theoretically innovative and pluralistic than it claims to, and could, be. This is largely due to the dominance of research clusters occupied with international regimes and ‚global governance’, a constraining concern with methods, and a somewhat distorted comparison with an ‚American’ IR discourse. At the same time, I note that a closer look at articles published in this journal over the past decade shows some promising openings. Given the challenge to conceptually grasp the complex and changing field we call IR, I support these moves with a call for more intellectual courage and theoretical creativity.