Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NAZM (Nezam and Nazm: Iran's Concept of International Order)
Période du rapport: 2021-10-01 au 2023-09-30
Project NAZM addresses one of the most pressing questions of contemporary international politics: how various polities, languages, and temporal framings conceptualize international order. This project analyzes various uses of concepts to understand and organize the international sphere, focusing specifically on Iran. It highlights the co-constitution of domestic and international order and examines how specific language and socio-political contexts lead to differing conceptions of international order.
In exploring the longevity of debates on international order within domestic political contexts, the project also examines the temporality of political projects and how the past, present, and future are represented and imagined politically. It emphasizes how the discipline of International Relations often fails to grasp particularities such as religious notions of international order and messianism, which influence the study of concepts like justice, cooperation, and conflict, all with significant normative consequences.
The project's objective is to challenge the unitary assumption of what international order is and how it is understood in various contexts and geographies. This broadens the scope of academic and policy debates on the present and future of international order beyond just great powers or Eurocentric frames. The project highlights the role of religion in shaping and contesting international order, both historically and contemporarily. It successfully studies how religious texts and other modes of knowledge, such as practices and rituals, influence both domestic politics and international order through various legitimacy claims or temporal politics.
In exploring the longevity of debates on international order within domestic political contexts, the project also examines the temporality of political projects and how the past, present, and future are represented and imagined politically. It emphasizes how the discipline of International Relations often fails to grasp particularities such as religious notions of international order and messianism, which influence the study of concepts like justice, cooperation, and conflict, all with significant normative consequences.
The project's objective is to challenge the unitary assumption of what international order is and how it is understood in various contexts and geographies. This broadens the scope of academic and policy debates on the present and future of international order beyond just great powers or Eurocentric frames. The project highlights the role of religion in shaping and contesting international order, both historically and contemporarily. It successfully studies how religious texts and other modes of knowledge, such as practices and rituals, influence both domestic politics and international order through various legitimacy claims or temporal politics.
The project pursued its objectives through two tracks: Middle East Studies and International Relations. The first track involved collecting texts to establish conceptual constellations for debating international order. The second track used these texts to explore notions of time in/of international order, leading to the organization of an interdisciplinary workshop with scholars at various career stages. These efforts provided a more holistic understanding of the past, present, and future of international order at a time when its future is contested, and regional developments depend on understanding local dynamics shaping the regional order. The project's results were frequently presented at various academic events, and several events on international order were organized. The Principal Investigator continues to work on publishing and publicizing the project as manuscripts are under consideration.
The project's work enabled the charting of a new research agenda on Time and International Order by highlighting the historical depth of the debate, various temporal projections, and the extent of geographies needing study. It demonstrated the need for interdisciplinary studies, bridging the gap between Area Studies and International Relations, and underscored the value of temporal analysis and conceptual history.
The project's results and pending publications also contribute to the literature on the history and future of International Order, characterizing the role of religion, language, and domestic order in international debates. The workshop was exemplary in representing a wide variety of scholars who engaged in discussions on the topic.
Project NAZM highlighted the necessity of studying the plurality of societies and temporal frameworks, asking critical questions such as: How is international order conceptualized? Where does the order come from? What distinguishes a new order from an old order? The project has succeeded in providing an innovative perspective to understand the origins, conceptions, and evolutions of the international order.
The project's results and pending publications also contribute to the literature on the history and future of International Order, characterizing the role of religion, language, and domestic order in international debates. The workshop was exemplary in representing a wide variety of scholars who engaged in discussions on the topic.
Project NAZM highlighted the necessity of studying the plurality of societies and temporal frameworks, asking critical questions such as: How is international order conceptualized? Where does the order come from? What distinguishes a new order from an old order? The project has succeeded in providing an innovative perspective to understand the origins, conceptions, and evolutions of the international order.