300097 Politics of Transnationalisation: Security and Conflict (Ko) (WiSe 2008/2009)

This colloquium focuses on the politics of transnationalisation
particularly with regard to the complex dimensions of security and conflict. Understanding security and conflict as encompassing phenomena relating to politics on different societal levels, we want to ask whose security and which dimensions of security are addressed by which kind of politics. Thus we intend to reflect on the links between social security and conflict as to the potentially conflictive relations between various kinds of social actors. Both concepts entail particular aspects of social practices, discourses and processes of social transformation: We wish to highlight the ways in which these are shaped by dynamics of transnationalisation.

We are dealing with discourses and practices, which might be seen as a) politics which are oriented towards security and/or addressing conflict or b) as part of processes by which security and/or conflict are produced, maintained, and/or enhanced. We particularly aim at discussing the role and interplay of diverse logics, actors and agencies involved in these situations. A transnational perspective on these dynamics allows to open up the restrictions of methodological nationalism, which generally dominate in the research on security and conflict. Reconsidering security and conflict as socially embedded phenomena we seek to develop new perspectives on the dynamics of transnationalisation.