The Future of International Practice Theory: Eclectic Methods, Sites, and Concepts

Over 20 years ago, Neumann argued that IR scholars’ growing focus on discourse had pulled them away from studying practices. IR scholars responded to this critique enthusiastically, developing the sub-field of international practice theory (IPT) that has yielded rich insights into the everyday practices and social dynamics of IR. In this forum, a range of contributors take stock of IPT—by now, a mature and thriving sub-field—and present ideas about how it can continue to advance. They suggest rethinking some of the core assumptions and methodological habits that have developed within the subfield. In particular, the contributors foreground the role of the material as well as the social, examine the liminality or “in-betweenness” of social spaces, challenge the common analytical distinction made between text and practice, and argue for the use of methods not usually seen in IPT, including archival methods, statistics, and large language models (LLMs). These new approaches can generate further insights into international practices and suggest paths forward for IPT and IR more broadly.