The Currency of Fantasy: Discourses of Popular Culture in International Relations

Authors

  • Ningchuan Wang Zhujiang College, South-China Agricultural University Baitiangang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/ipcj-2013-0002

Keywords:

Popular Culture, Discourse, International Relations, Harry Potter

Abstract

The “facts” of international politics constitute the first-order representations of political life and can be reflected in popular entertainment as second-order or fictional representations. This article demonstrates that discourses of popular culture are powerful and implicated in International Relations (IR) studies. The article makes two correlated claims: the first is that the humanist and anthropological methodology often used to analyse pop culture could also be used to analyse international issues, if appropriately contextualized; the second claim is that a nation can manifest its ‘discourse’ in international politics via its popular culture, as soft power.

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Author Biography

Ningchuan Wang, Zhujiang College, South-China Agricultural University Baitiangang

Ningchuan Wang is a scholar working in Zhujiang College SCAU, mainland China, whose research area is mainly connected with the relationship between culture and international relations, including the following two aspects: the cultural politics and the use of Chinese traditional culture to explain globalization, such as Yin Yang theory, Confucianism, Taoism and so on. Up untill now, he has published more than 20 papers in both Chinese as well as English journals, such as Globalizations, Contemporary International Relations, Studies in Sociology of Science, Studies in Language and Literature.

 

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Published

2013-12-31

How to Cite

Wang, N. (2013). The Currency of Fantasy: Discourses of Popular Culture in International Relations. International Studies. Interdisciplinary Political and Cultural Journal, 15(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.2478/ipcj-2013-0002

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Articles