My current research agenda has two core components. The first is an examination of regional security norms and practice within ASEAN and other regional organizations in the Global South. The second is an exploration of interpretive methodologies and methods, centering on issues of researcher positionality. You can read about each component and find links to recent publications below. In addition, I am also interested in questions of global governance and multilateralism and have published on those issues as well.
I. Regional Security Norms and Practice
The core of my research examines regional diplomacy and security governance in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and elsewhere in the Global South.
Centrally, I am interested in how different communities of diplomatic officials understand and respond to conflict and crises. This focus leads me to investigate the existence and effects of regional governance norms and practices and my published work builds on and extends recent developments in international practice theory and social constructivist literatures. To explore how communities understand and respond to crises – and how they understand and enact norms in practice – I have conducted more than 120 interviews with diplomats and officials at a number of organizations, including ASEAN, the African Union (AU), and the Organization of American States (OAS).
I am particularly interested in examining regional norms and practices in a comparative context, examining how different diplomatic communities understand and enact similar governance norms or why they respond to similar conflicts and crises in radically different ways. These interests animate my book manuscript, Practicing Peace: Conflict Management in Southeast Asia and South America, which is currently under review with Oxford University Press.
Below I note the articles and chapters (*peer reviewed or **editor-reviewed) within this component of my research agenda. Please click the links for copies, abstracts, and more information.
Recent Publications:
- Aarie Glas and Emmanuel Balogun (2020), “Norms in Practice: People-Centric Governance in ASEAN and ECOWAS,” International Affairs 96(4): pp. 1015-1032.* Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site and abstract.
- Aarie Glas and David Zarnett (2020), “Regional Organizations” in Fen Osler Hampson, Alp Özerdem, and Jonathan Kent (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Peace, Security and Development. New York: Routledge, pp. 348-366.** Link: Publisher’s site.
- Aarie Glas (2018), “African Union Security Culture in Practice: African Problems and African Solutions,” International Affairs 94(5): 1121–1138.* Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site and abstract; All Africa blog; International Affairs blog.
- Aarie Glas (2017), “Habits of Peace: Long-Term Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia,” European Journal of International Relations 23(4): 833–856.* Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site and abstract.
Works-In-Progress:
- Aarie Glas (n.d.), Practicing Peace: Conflict Management in Southeast Asia and South America. Book manuscript under review.
- Stéphanie Martel and Aarie Glas (n.d.) “The Contested Meaning-Making of Diplomatic Norms: Competence in Practice in Southeast Asian Multilateralism” Article under review. *An early version of this article won two awards at ISA Asia-Pacific 2019, including the “Best Paper Award” and “Best New Scholar Award.”
- Aarie Glas and Marion Laurence (n.d.), “Norms, Practices, and Global Governance: Non-Interference and the Evolution of Conflict Management Practices.” Article under review.
- Aarie Glas (n.d.), “Diplomacy in the ASEAN” in Patrick James (ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Invited contribution under review.
- Aarie Glas (n.d.), “‘This is not 1967’: Stigma and change in ASEAN’s normative order.” Article in progress.
II. Interpretive Methodologies and Methods
The second core component of my research agenda is an exploration of the interpretive methodologies and methods at the heart of my substantive research.
In particular, I am interested in the effects of positionality in the production of knowledge — from how a researcher interacts in the field, to how she interprets and represents her experiences. I examine these issues with an eye to offering actionable means of confronting and critically reflecting on positionality.
Recent Publications:
- Aarie Glas (forthcoming) “Power, Positionality, and Positions of Power: Reflexivity in Elite Interviewing,” PS: Political Science and Politics. (Accepted November 2020).
- Jessica Soedirgo and Aarie Glas (2020) “Active Reflexivity: Positionality and Practice in the Production of Knowledge,” PS: Political Science and Politics 53(3): pp. 527-531.* Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site.
- Aarie Glas and Jessica Soedirgo (2018) “A Posture of Active Reflexivity: Learning from Lee Ann Fujii’s Approach to Research,” Qualitative & Multi-Method Research 16(1): pp. 53-55.** Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site.
Works-In-Progress:
- Aarie Glas and Alesha Porisky (n.d.), “Insiders, Outsiders, and Credible Visitors in Elite Interviewing.” Article in progress.
For more on related methodological issues, please visit the Interpretive Methodologies and Methods (IMM) Group at APSA, which I have worked with for the last six years in a number of capacities, and the Qualitative Inquiry Collaborative (QUIC) at NIU where I am a member of the executive committee.
Additional Research: Global Governance
Beyond the two core components of my current research, I am interested in questions of contemporary global governance, multilateralism, and the structures and practices that constitute the international system of states. These interests have driven a few additional publications:
- Aarie Glas, Clifton van der Linden, Matthew J. Hoffmann, and Robert Denemark (2018), “Understanding Multilateral Treaty-Making as Constitutive Practice” Journal of Global Security Studies 3(3): 339-357.* Links: Article PDF; Publisher’s site; Replication data.
- Aarie Glas and John Kirton (2012), “Global Governance from America, Canada and the Responsible Rest” in Sean Clark and Sabrina Hoque (eds.). Debating a Post-American World: What Lies Ahead. London: Routledge, pp. 221-225.** Link: Chapter PDF; Publisher’s site.
*peer reviewed publication; **editor-reviewed publication