The clash of practice: political controversy and the United Nations Peacebuilding commission

TY - JOUR

T1 - The clash of practice

T2 - political controversy and the United Nations Peacebuilding commission

AU - Bueger, Christian

PY - 2011/5/1

Y1 - 2011/5/1

N2 - Controversy is at the heart of politics. Theories of practice offer a productive way of understanding controversies and potentially negotiating in them. In this paper, drawing on the work of Theodore Schatzki, Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, I introduce a heuristic for understanding controversies. I argue that what is often at stake in controversies are different types of practices of how a political issue should be handled. I introduce five of these types of practices. I analyse a case from global politics to demonstrate the value of such a perspective – the controversies in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission are analysed as clashes between different practices of handling peacebuilding.

AB - Controversy is at the heart of politics. Theories of practice offer a productive way of understanding controversies and potentially negotiating in them. In this paper, drawing on the work of Theodore Schatzki, Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, I introduce a heuristic for understanding controversies. I argue that what is often at stake in controversies are different types of practices of how a political issue should be handled. I introduce five of these types of practices. I analyse a case from global politics to demonstrate the value of such a perspective – the controversies in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission are analysed as clashes between different practices of handling peacebuilding.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - international organisations

KW - peacebuilding

KW - political controversy

KW - practice theory

U2 - 10.1332/174426411X579216

DO - 10.1332/174426411X579216

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1744-2648

VL - 7

SP - 171

EP - 191

JO - Evidence and Policy

JF - Evidence and Policy

IS - 2

ER -