GEOG 140 Chapter 6: GEOG140PoliticalGeographyWeek2Article2NotesToal
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Week 2, article 2 notes (toal, pgs 107-118) Geopolitics is described as a problem-solving theory for the conceptualization and practice of statecraft. It"s an instrumental form of knowledge/rationality that is used by foreign policy decision makers. Geopolitics is similar to political realism, distinguishing itself by its predisposition to find geography" as a singularly important element in foreign policy conceptualization/practice. Declarative narration: this is how the world should be". For critical geopolitics, the notion of "is" is always an essentially contested perspectival notion. Knowledge is always situated knowledge, articulating the perspective of certain cultures and subjects while marginalizing that of others. Imperative narration: this is what we must do". We" refers to a geographically bounded community and its cultural/political version of the truth of that world. Its "we" is a transnational community of citizens skeptical of the power concentrated in state and military bureaucracies, and committed to an open democratic debate about the meaning and politics of "security"
