Charting the narrative landscape: Distinguishing agency-centric and structure-centric approaches to narrative research in International Relations

The narrative concept has gained significant traction in International Relations (IR), yet its expanding scope has raised concerns regarding conceptual ambiguity. This article provides an overview of the narrative literature in IR, categorising it into two dominant streams: agency-centric and structure-centric approaches aiming to provide clearer orientation for newcomers to the rising research agenda. While agency-centric perspectives focus on how actors construct and deploy narratives to shape political outcomes, the structure-centric approaches emphasise the broader discursive and institutional contexts that influence narrative formation and reception. Through a systematic literature review, this article highlights the need for further theorisation of the interaction between these two perspectives. As one of the possible ways forward, it suggests adopting a historical or longitudinal perspective to better understand how narratives evolve over time, capturing both their continuity and transformation within international politics.