Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gradual Processes, Ambiguous Consequences: Rethinking Recognition in International Relations

  • Chapter
Recognition in International Relations

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in International Relations Series ((PSIR))

Abstract

‘Recognition’, or its negative counterpart, ‘misrecognition’, is relevant wherever people or their collective organizations interact—or fail to interact. Individuals and collective political actors seek recognition of certain qualities, positive characteristics, competencies, achievements, or of their status within a specific group of people, a society, a political system, or the international political realm. The addressees of this recognition-seeking behaviour vary broadly, depending on the respective situation and depending on what exactly one actor would like to see recognized by another. A child might seek recognition from her parents or from fellow children of her first colour painting; a scholar might seek recognition of her opus magnum from fellow scholars or the public. A non-governmental organization might seek recognition of its humanitarian work from governments, the UN, potential donors, or from the needy people it supports. The violent group ‘Islamic State’ might seek recognition of its self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’ from Muslim believers, Muslim leaders, or regional organizations. Even a superficial scan of the daily news shows the ubiquity of issues related to ‘recognition’ in politics and society. Yet, what a certain actor seeks recognition of and from whom, how exactly recognition comes about (or fails to come about), and how it can be ‘measured’ is not as self-evident.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Agné, H., J. Bartelson, E. Erman, T. Lindemann, B. Herborth, O. Kessler, C. Chwaszcza, M. Fabry, and S. D. Krasner (2013) ‘Symposium: The Politics of International Recognition’, International Theory, 5:1, 94–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allan, P. and A. Keller (2012) ‘Is a Just Peace Possible without Thin and Thick Recognition?’, in T. Lindemann and E. Ringmar (eds), The International Politics of Recognition (Boulder, CO: Paradigm), 71–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahceli, T., B. Bartmann, and H. Srebnik (eds) (2004) De facto States: The Quest for Sovereignty (London: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartelson, J. (2013) ‘Three Concepts of Recognition’, International Theory, 5:1, 107–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Behnke, A. (2012) NATO’s Security Discourse after the Cold War: Representing the West (London: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Benhabib, S. (2002) The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. (1992) Writing Security: United States Foreign Policy and the Politics of Identity (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspersen, N. (2012) Unrecognized States: The Struggle for Sovereignty in the Modern International System (Cambridge, MA: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspersen, N. and G. Stansfield (eds) (2011) Unrecognized States in the International System (London: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, I. (2007) Legitimacy in International Society (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, M. (1997) ‘Authenticity and Autonomy: Taylor, Habermas, and the Politics of Recognition’, Political Theory, 25:2, 258–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, J. (2006) The Creation of States in International Law, 2nd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronin, A. K. (2011) How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrova, A. (2013) ‘The Politics of Recognition in International Conflicts’, Millennium—Journal of International Studies, 41:3, 663–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunne, T., M. Kurki, and S. Smith (eds) (2013) International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 3rd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Erman, E. (2013) ‘The Recognitive Practices of Declaring and Constituting Statehood’, International Theory, 5:1, 129–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabry, M. (2010) Recognizing States: International Society and the Establishment of New States Since 1776 (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, N. (1996) ‘Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics: Redistribution, Recognition, and Participation’, The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, delivered at Stanford University, United States (30 April–2 May).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, N. (1997) Justice Interruptus: Critical Reflections on the ‘Postsocialist’ Condition (New York: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, N. (2000) ‘Rethinking Recognition’, New Left Review, 3, 107–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, N. and A. Honneth (2003) Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical Exchange (London: Verso).

    Google Scholar 

  • Geldenhuys, D. (2009) Contested States in World Politics (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, T. D. (1999) The Recognition of States: Law and Practice in Debate and Evolution (Westport, CT: Praeger).

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenhill, B. (2008) ‘Recognition and Collective Identity Formation in International Politics’, European Journal of International Law, 14:2, 343–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haacke, J. (2005) ‘The Frankfurt School and International Relations: On the Centrality of Recognition’, Review of International Studies, 31, 181–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heins, V. (2008) Nongovernmental Organizations in International Society: Struggles over Recognition (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hitzel-Cassagnes, T. and R. Schmalz-Bruns (2009) Recognition and Political Theory. Paradoxes and Conceptual Challenges of the Politics of Recognition, RECON Online Working Paper 11/2009, http://www.reconproject.eu/projectweb/portalproject/ RECONWorkingPapers2009.html, date accessed 8 September 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Honneth, A. (1995) The Struggle for Recognition: The Moral Grammar of Social Conflicts (London: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Honneth, A. (2010) Das Ich im Wir. Studien zur Anerkennungstheorie (Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp).

    Google Scholar 

  • Honneth, A. (2012) ‘Recognition between States: On the Moral Substrate of International Relations’, in T. Lindemann and E. Ringmar (eds), The International Politics of Recognition (Boulder, CO: Paradigm), 25–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikäheimo, H. (2002) ‘On the Genus and Species of Recognition’, Inquiry, 45:4, 447–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iser, M. (2008) Empörung und Fortschritt. Grundlagen einer kritischen Theorie der Gesellschaft (Frankfurt a. M.: Campus).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelsen, H. (1941) ‘Recognition in International Law: Theoretical Observations’, American Journal of International Law, 35:4, 605–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ker-Lindsay, J. (2012) The Foreign Policy of Counter Secession: Preventing the Recognition of Contested States (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, O. and B. Herborth (2013) ‘Recognition and the Constitution of Social Order’, International Theory, 5:1, 155–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolstø, P. (2006) ‘The Sustainability and Future of Unrecognized Quasi-States’, Journal of Peace Research, 43:6, 723–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lebow, R. N. (2008) Cultural Theory of International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, T. (2010) Causes of War: The Struggle for Recognition (London: ECPR Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, T. (2012) ‘Concluding Remarks on the Empirical Study of International Recognition’, in T. Lindemann and E. Ringmar (eds), The International Politics of Recognition (Boulder, CO: Paradigm), 209–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, T. and E. Ringmar (eds) (2012) The International Politics of Recognition (Boulder, CO: Paradigm).

    Google Scholar 

  • Markell, P. (2003) Bound by Recognition (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Menon, P. K. (1989) ‘Some Aspects of the Law of Recognition. Part I: Theories of Recognition’, Revue de Droit International/The International Law Review, 67, 161–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill, S. and N. H. Smith (eds) (2012) Recognition Theory as Social Research: Investigating the Dynamics of Social Conflict (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Onuf, N. (2013) ‘Recognition and the Constitution of Epochal Change’, International Relations, 27:2, 121–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Popovski, V. and N. Turner (2012) ‘Conclusion: Legitimacy as Complement and Corrective to Legality’, in R. Falk, M. Juergensmeyer, and V. Popovski (eds), Legality and Legitimacy in Global Affairs (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 439–50.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Reus-Smit, C. (2011) ‘Struggles for Individual Rights and the Expansion of the International System’, International Organization, 65:2, 207–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringmar, E. (1996) Identity, Interest, and Action: A Cultural Explanation of Sweden’s Intervention in the Thirty Years War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ringmar, E. (2002) ‘The Recognition Game: Soviet Russia against the West’, Cooperation & Conflict, 37:2, 115–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringmar, E. (2012) ‘Introduction: The International Politics of Recognition’, in T. Lindemann and E. Ringmar (eds), The International Politics of Recognition (Boulder, CO: Paradigm), 3–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, N. H. (2012) ‘Introduction: A Recognition-Theoretical Research Programme for the Social Sciences’, in S. O’Neill and N. H. Smith (eds), Recognition Theory as Social Research: Investigating the Dynamics of Social Conflict (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strömbom, L. (2013) Israeli Identity, Thick Recognition and Conflict Transformation (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Strömbom, L. (2014) ‘Thick Recognition: Advancing Theory on Identity Change in Intractable Conflicts’, European Journal of International Relations, 20:1, 168–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, C. (1992) Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, C. (2001) ‘The Politics of Recognition’, in A. Gutmann (ed.), Multiculturalism (Princeton: Princeton University Press), 25–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toros, H. (2012) Terrorism, Talking and Transformation: A Critical Approach (Abingdon: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendt, A. (1999) Social Theory of International Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wendt, A. (2003) ‘Why a World State Is Inevitable’, European Journal of International Relations, 9:4, 491–542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wendt, A. (2004) ‘The State as Person in International Theory’, Review of International Studies, 30:2, 289–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, M. C. (2001) ‘The Discipline of the Democratic Peace: Kant, Liberalism and the Social Construction of Security Communities’, European Journal of International Relations, 7:4, 525–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, R. (2011) ‘Respect and Disrespect in International Politics: The Significance of Status Recognition’, International Theory, 3:1, 105–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, I. M. (2000) Inclusion and Democracy (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Anna Geis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Caroline Fehl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Christopher Daase
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Georgios Kolliarakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Goethe University Frankfurt and Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany

    Christopher Daase (Professor of International Organizations) (Professor of International Organizations)

  2. Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany

    Caroline Fehl (Senior Researcher) (Senior Researcher)

  3. University of Magdeburg, Germany

    Anna Geis (Professor of International Relations) (Professor of International Relations)

  4. Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

    Georgios Kolliarakis (Senior Researcher) (Senior Researcher)

Copyright information

© 2015 Anna Geis, Caroline Fehl, Christopher Daase, and Georgios Kolliarakis

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Geis, A., Fehl, C., Daase, C., Kolliarakis, G. (2015). Gradual Processes, Ambiguous Consequences: Rethinking Recognition in International Relations. In: Daase, C., Fehl, C., Geis, A., Kolliarakis, G. (eds) Recognition in International Relations. Palgrave Studies in International Relations Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137464729_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation