Jonathan Luke Austin

I have a new piece published in Frame: Journal of Literary Studies, which discusses how we can think about ‘designs for and against evil.’ The piece draws on the work of Iraqi novelist Ahmed Saadawi, alongside architectural theory and praxis, to describe the ‘poetry of moans and sighs’ that afflict world politics. It begins with…

* Deadline extended to 20th March 2020. This Autumn, myself and Anna Leander are organizing a section at the European International Studies Association’s annual meeting (EISA-PEC 20) in Malta. We are soliciting contributions (papers, panels, round tables, objects, art-installations, and more) for an ongoing and developing research project termed International Political Design (IPD), being carried…

The 2019 Pan-European Conference, hosted by the European International Studies Association (EISA), took place this September in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 2019 conference theme focused on the ‘seen and unseen of international relations,’ drawing together leading scholars from across the world. In Sofia, I presented several papers exploring the relationship between material technological design and world…

Next week, I am organising a workshop on the theory, practice, and methods of post-critique for International Relations in Rio de Janeiro, at the Institute of International Relations of PUC-Rio. The workshop will draw on a diverse range of critical perspectives, including international political sociology, critical security studies, feminist theory, decolonial theory, and beyond. Participants…

A little teaser of some of the motivations beyond the collective writing project Post-Critical IR is now available online and forthcoming at Security Dialogue as part of its 50th anniversary Horizon Scan issue. Stay tuned for our upcoming full discussions. The teaser can be read below or downloaded here.

Post-Critical IR moves its discussions to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August (29-31) 2019. A number of places at the Rio workshop are available for new participants. Our goal is to use these places to extend our discussions beyond their current boundaries. We are particularly keen to hear from interested participants with a focus on…

In a few days (May 6th) the first Politics Beyond Technology workshop will begin, co-organized with the VIPRE Initiative and NORDSTEVA. The workshop brings together academics and practitioners focused on the place of technology in world politics, with a particular focus on the role of Digital Fabrication (3D Printing) in world politics. Co-convened by myself and Anna…

This article introduces International Political Ergonomics (iPER). iPER is a novel research programme focused on achieving political change through the ergonomic (re)design of world politics. This is an unusual article for me. It combines critical theory, behaviouralism, practice theory, deterrence theory, and more to suggest a radical transformation in the vocation of IR. Why? The…

Post-Critical IR moves its discussions to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August (29-31) 2019. A number of places at the Rio workshop are available for new participants. Our goal is to use these places to extend our discussions beyond their current boundaries. We are particularly keen to hear from interested participants with a focus on…