Change in normative orders: The transnationalization of domination and resistance

Project management: Prof. Dr. Christopher Daase and Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff

Advancing globalization is not only leading to an intensification of international and transnational relations, but also to an accentuation of resistance to global regulatory policy. Increasing resistance to liberal economic models, disregard for international rules and open protest against “Western values” are signs of this. This may be related to the fact that international institutions and norms are increasingly penetrating national borders and demanding ever more far-reaching adaptations from state and non-state actors. So far, such forms of political resistance have received little systematic attention in international relations, as they cannot be adequately captured by the realist, liberal or constructivist paradigm of international politics. Only a perspective that allows us to understand global politics in its institutional and normative form as an order of domination can perceive, explain and normatively classify forms of radical resistance to the institutions and norms of international politics.

The question of the project is how transnational domination and transnational resistance are connected. A central hypothesis is that the more transnational domination expresses itself in domination and lacks or curtails opportunities for participation and critique, the more willing critical actors are to organize themselves transnationally in order to make their resistance more effective. A second, complementary hypothesis is that, in order to assert themselves, political orders must confront transnational resistance actors and, to this end, strengthen their cooperation internationally. In this sense, transnational governance is a response to the political challenge of a normative order.

Two empirical studies have been carried out to test these hypotheses. One analysed the transnational networking of security organizations, especially police forces, which has emerged in response to the transnationalization of protest. The second study, on the other hand, focused on the transnational networking and forms of cooperation of resistance (here: exit forms of resistance in ecovillages) in order to determine the extent and form of the transnationalization of power formations. The extent to which both transnationalization processes are influenced by each other (reinforcing/inhibiting/without influence) was analysed. Both studies were able to show that the transnationalization of rule and resistance are closely interlinked. Forms of domination transnationalize in response to a corresponding transnationalization of resistance, and resistance forms increasingly towards transnational institutions and practices the more these are endowed with authority. This fundamental connection was also confirmed in several workshops and conferences held by the project. However, it also shows that the mechanisms responsible for this diverge greatly between different forms of domination and resistance.

Both studies are nearing completion and key findings have already been published, including in a project volume published by Springer in January 2017. In addition, the research project has established its own working paper series (international dissidence), in which research results from the project and in the project context are published on an ongoing basis. In spring 2017, the research project also organized a major international conference at which the key research findings were presented and which, in addition to international publications, also served to prepare follow-up projects.

The most important publications in the research project:

Daase, Christopher/Nicole Deitelhoff/Ben Kamis /Jannik Pfister/Philip Wallmeier (eds.): Herrschaft in den internationalen Beziehungen, Wiesbaden: Springer, 2017.

Pfister, Jannik: “This side of the transnational. Die Verräumlichung widerständiger Praktiken von der Alterglobalisierungsbewegung bis Occupy”, in: K. H. Backhaus and David Roth-Isigkeit (eds.): Praktiken der Kritik, Frankfurt: Campus, 2016, pp. 157-183.

Daase, Christopher and Nicole Deitelhoff: “Jenseits der Anarchie: Widerstand und Herrschaft im internationalen System”, in: Politische Vierteljahresschrift 56(2), 2015, pp. 299-318.

Wallmeier, Philip: “Dissidence as a way of life. Non-antagonistic resistance in eco-villages”, in: Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft (Sonderband II), 2015, pp. 181-200.

Deitelhoff, Nicole: “Empty promises? Deliberation and Opposition in the Context of Transnational Legitimacy Politics”, in: A. Geis/F. Nullmeier/C. Daase (eds.): The Rise of Legitimacy Politics, (Leviathan Special Volume 27), Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2012, pp. 63-82.

people in this project:

Project management / contact person

Daase, Christopher, Prof. Dr.

Deitelhoff, Nicole, Prof. Dr.

Project staff

Kamis, Ben, MSc. I.R.

Pfister, Jannik

Wallmeier, Philip

Further information: dissidenz.net