Sovereignty and subjectivity

de Jenny Edkins, Véronique Pin-Fat

This provocative analysis of notions of subject and identity in international relations goes beyond discussions of identity politics to argue that sovereignty and subjectivity implicate each other, together constituting the political. The authors consider how specific pictures of the subject and of political space still capture our desires; they also examine the links those pictures have with power, the state, and the status quo. Their juxtaposition of theoretical analyses, empirical studies, and personal accounts provides a challenging exploration of the political impact of identity as produced through practice, the legacy of modernity, and the intimate but often invisible relationship of self to other.