IPSA Welcomes Research Committee (RC04) on Visual Politics

IPSA is pleased to announce the formation of a new research committee, RC04 - Visual Politics, covering the themes of visually engaged scholarship in political science and related disciplines.

The “visual” or “aesthetic” turn in global politics refers to a growing international and interdisciplinary enterprise motivated by the acknowledgment of the centrality of visuals in our contemporary political and social realities. It concerns both the use of visual methods (e.g., photography or filmmaking) and the study of visual phenomena as part of political facts, events, and representations. Since its gradual development in the late 1990s and its expansion in the following decade, scholarly research dedicated to visual politics includes various analytical approaches and covers a large yet specialized spectrum of fields and research topics – including but not limited to new technologies; discourses, representations and forms of warfare; peace and conflict; foreign policy; refugee crises; health issues; international organizations; diplomacy; affects and emotions; identity politics; nationalism.

However, the field of visual politics has yet to vigorously bridge the voices and experiences of visually engaged scholars across the globe, including across the global North and global South. Owing to the unique structure and representation of IPSA and its biennial World Congress, the RC04 aims to bridge gaps and further build a more global and inclusive understanding of visual politics, to potentiate a new type of interdisciplinary conversation. It will promote and discuss the role of visuals in the scholarly apprehension of the political while contributing to the field’s inclusivity and global representativeness. 

The new RC will be launched at a roundtable on ‘Decolonizing Visual Politics and IR’ during the Virtual 2021 IPSA World Congress. Feel free to join!

To find out more about the RC04, please visit the website . We are very much looking forward to collaborating with other IPSA RCs as well, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

If you wish to be added to the mailing list, join the activities of RC04, or ask a question about the research committee, please feel free to email the chair, Julie Patarin-Jossec, at patarinjossec.julie@gmail.com.