My research agenda has two major and interrelated areas. The first centers on governance norms and practice within ASEAN and other organizations in the Global South. The second examines interpretive methodologies and methods. You can read about each area and find links to my publications below. In addition, I am interested in questions of global governance and multilateralism, and I have published on those themes as well.

Below I note the publications (*peer reviewed or **editor-reviewed) within each area of my research agenda. Please click the links for copies, abstracts, related commentaries, and more information. For a full list of publications and work-in-progress, please see my CV.

I. Regional Governance and Social IR Theory

The first area of my research examines regional diplomacy and governance in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Global South. To this end, I work with and develop social IR theory. In particular, I am interested in how communities of diplomatic officials within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other organizations understand and respond to conflict and crises. This focus leads me to investigate and theorize governance norms and their enactment in practice. I have conducted more than 130 interviews with officials at a number of organizations, including ASEAN, the African Union (AU), and the Organization of American States (OAS). My published and in-progress research in this area theorizes continuity and change in diplomacy and governance and often offers comparative perspectives on governance and conflict management across organizations and regions. These interests animate my 2022 book, Practicing Peace: Conflict Management in Southeast Asia and South America (Oxford University Press).

Related Publications:

• Aarie Glas (2022), Practicing Peace: Conflict Management in Southeast Asia and South America. Oxford University Press.*
  • Link: Publisher’s site.

• Stéphanie Martel and Aarie Glas (forthcoming), “The Contested Meaning-Making of Diplomatic Norms: Competence in Practice in Southeast Asian Multilateralism.” European Journal of International Relations.*
  • An early version of our article won the “Best Conference Paper” and “Best New Scholar” awards from the International Studies Association Asia-Pacific (2020).

• Aarie Glas and Marion Laurence (2022), “The Evolution of Norms in Practice: Non-Interference in the UN and ASEAN.” Journal of Global Security Studies 7(3).*
  • Link: Publisher’s site.

• Aarie Glas (2021), “Diplomacy in the ASEAN,” in Patrick James (ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.*
  • Link: Publisher’s site.

• 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
  • The article has been promoted in two International Affairs reading lists: the ISA 2021 reading list,”Globalization, regionalism and nationalism: Contending forces in world politics” and “International Organizations.”
  • Please see our related commentary in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage.

• 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
  • This article has been promoted in International Affairs’ “Africa”reading list.
  • Please see a related commentary published by All Africa and the 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:

• Steven Bernstein, Aarie Glas, and Marion Laurence (n.d.), “Norms, Practices, and Social Change in International Politics.” Book manuscript in progress.

• Aarie Glas (n.d.), “‘This is not the 90s’: Change in ASEAN’s Normative Order and the Regional Response to Myanmar.” Article in progress.

• Aarie Glas and Stéphanie Martel, “Boundary Work, Overlapping Identities, and Liminality in Communities of Practice.” Invited article for a special issue in progress.

II. Interpretive Methodologies and Methods

The second area of my research explores the interpretive methodologies and methods that are at the heart of my substantive research. In particular, I am interested in the effects of positionality in the production of knowledge and how to build reflexivity into research designs. I have a series of short, often co-authored, and related reflections on these dynamics published in APSA’s PS: Political Science and Politics. This series of articles is largely geared towards graduate student scholars with aim of offering actionable recommendations for conducting reflexive and rigorous qualitative research.

Related Publications:

• Aarie Glas and Alesha Porisky (forthcoming), “Insiders, Outsiders, and Credible Visitors in Research.” PS: Political Science and Politics.*

• Aarie Glas (2021) “Power, Positionality, and Positions of Power: Reflexivity in Elite Interviewing,” PS: Political Science and Politics. 54(3): pp. 438-442.*
  • Link: Publisher’s site.

• 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 Jessica Soedirgo (n.d.), “Reflexive Methodologies and Methods.” In Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, and Dino Christenson (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Methodological Pluralism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter under review.
  • I am an associate editor of this volume.

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 and Multilateralism  

Beyond the two core areas of my research, I am interested in related questions around 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.**
  • Links: Chapter PDF; Publisher’s site.

*peer reviewed publication; **editor-reviewed publication