International Organization· 2014Q1
Stigma Management in International Relations: Transgressive Identities, Norms, and Order in International Society
- 576citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
International society is partly constructed not just by shared norms, but by stigmatizing norm-violating states, which actively manage this stigma through recognition, rejection, or counter-stigmatization, potentially challenging dominant discourses.
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Key points
- International order is partly built through the stigmatization of norm-violating states.
- States are active agents that strategically manage their stigma, rather than passive subjects of socialization.
- A typology of stigma management strategies includes recognition (Germany), rejection (Austria), and counter-stigmatization (Cuba).
- Stigma imposition can paradoxically lead to the stigmatizers being seen as transgressive, potentially altering moral discourse.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This article develops a theoretical approach to stigma in international relations and resituates conventional approaches to the study of norms and international order. Correcting the general understanding that common values and norms are the building blocks of social order, this article claims that international society is in part constructed through the stigmatization of “transgressive” and norm-violating states and their ways of coping with stigma. Drawing on Erving Goffman, this article shows that states are not passive objects of socialization, but active agents. Stigmatized states cope strategically with their stigma and may, in some cases, challenge and even transform a dominant moral discourse. A typology of stigma management strategies is presented: stigma recognition (illustrated by Germany); stigma rejection (illustrated by Austria); and finally counter-stigmatization (illustrated by Cuba). Because of the lack of agreement on what constitutes normal state behavior, attempts to impose stigma may even have the opposite effect—the stigmatizers become the transgressive. A focus on stigma opens up new avenues for research on norms, identities, and international order.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Organization, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Development
DevelopmentSocial Sciences