Everyday Foreign Policy: Performing and Consuming the Russian Nation After Crimea

This book explores the everyday foreign policy of regular citizens, who engage in physical and cultural practices in digital and bodily spaces. It argues that foreign policy is an assemblage of these practices and contextualizes it within the daily lives of citizens, who have their own motivations for engaging in foreign policy. The book focuses on Russian grass roots foreign policy after the annexation of Crimea, highlighting fetishization of Putin, militarization, sanctions, Russian-Turkish and Russian-American relations, the FIFA World Cup, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: Manchester University Press

While everyday high-level practices have become an important area of study, the everyday life of the average person has been overlooked in both theoretical and empirical conceptualizations. Building on feminist, sociological, and ethnographic research, this book argues that everyday foreign policy is an assemblage – a combination of physical and cultural practices that inhabit digital and bodily spaces. Following the feminist call to liberate international relations from the straitjacket of high politics, this book contextualizes foreign policy within the daily practices of regular citizens, who also have their motivations behind reposting memes, eating a certain kind of cheese, or shaming women for their dating preferences. This book focuses on Russian grassroots foreign policy after the annexation of Crimea, zeroing in on fetishization of Putin, militarization, sanctions, Russian-Turkish and Russian-American relations, the FIFA World Cup, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction:
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of everyday high-level practices in international relations. This trend has been driven by the recognition that the decisions and actions taken by governments and other actors at the global level have a profound impact on the lives of individuals and communities around the world. While this focus on high-level practices has been valuable, it has also led to the neglect of the everyday life of the average person. This book seeks to address this gap by exploring the relationship between everyday foreign policy and the lives of ordinary citizens.

Feminist Perspective:
One of the key insights of this book is that foreign policy is not just the domain of governments and other formal actors. It is also shaped by the everyday practices of ordinary citizens. Feminist scholars have long argued that international relations is dominated by male-dominated power structures and that women's voices and perspectives are often marginalized. This book builds on this feminist perspective by arguing that everyday foreign policy is also shaped by the experiences and perspectives of women. Women are often the primary victims of conflict and violence, and they have a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that arise in the context of international relations.

Sociological Perspective:
Another important aspect of this book is the sociological perspective. Sociologists argue that foreign policy is not just a product of the decisions and actions of governments but also of the social and cultural norms and values of society. This book explores how these social and cultural norms and values shape everyday foreign policy practices. For example, the book examines how the fetishization of Putin in Russian grassroots foreign policy is shaped by the cultural values of nationalism and masculinity.

Ethnographic Perspective:
Finally, this book takes an ethnographic approach to exploring the relationship between everyday foreign policy and the lives of ordinary citizens. Ethnography is a method of research that involves immersing oneself in a particular culture or community to understand their practices and beliefs. In this book, the author uses ethnographic research to examine the impact of foreign policy on the lives of ordinary citizens in Russia. The author visits various communities in Russia and interviews ordinary citizens about their experiences with foreign policy.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book offers a novel perspective on the relationship between everyday foreign policy and the lives of ordinary citizens. By exploring the intersection of feminist, sociological, and ethnographic research, the book demonstrates that foreign policy is not just a product of the decisions and actions of governments but also of the experiences and perspectives of ordinary citizens. The book calls for a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of foreign policy that takes into account the experiences and perspectives of all members of society.

Weight: 456g
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526155412