Practices of (De)Legitimation in World Politics

Abstract

This forum proposes a practice-oriented approach to (de)legitimation processes in world politics. Drawing on international practice theory and visual IR, among other fields, our approach offers an important extension of existing literature on (de)legitimation that mostly concentrates on discursive (de)legitimation. Instead, this forum focuses on a broader variety of practices of (de)legitimation, such as bodily gestures and visual (de)legitimation practices, including as communicated via (social) media. The forum’s six contributions demonstrate the significance and conceptual promise of our approach by showcasing various conceptual entry points and empirical illustrations. Matthias Ecker-Ehrhardt analyzes the everyday legitimation practices of international organization officials acting as the “personal face” of institutional processes on social media. Anna Geis examines the Taliban’s symbolic and embodied practices of self-legitimation during the Doha negotiations with the United States in 2019–2020. Subsequently, Stanislav Budnitsky conceptualizes the reoccurring practice of verbally and physically assaulting foreign experts on Russian televised political talk shows as embodied legitimation practices of Russia’s anti-Western geopolitical agenda. David Shim and Laurenz Krumbacher draw attention to the everyday, visualized legitimation practices of climate activists on TikTok, emphasizing their performative dimension. Frank Gadinger turns to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s social media-oriented public performances in parliaments around the world. Nora Stappert and Siddharth Tripathi conclude the forum with a discussion of limitations, remaining challenges, and future research avenues, including using decolonial and postcolonial approaches. Combined, our forum opens an avenue for future research that considers existing and new forms of (de)legitimation in global affairs through the lens of practice while emphasizing the crucial role of legitimacy and normativity in international practices.