Critical Geopolitics

Module code: GY3414

This final year module provides an in-depth grounding in ideas and concepts from the critical and feminist traditions in geopolitics. In particular, it outlines the approach of the Everyday Geopolitical Lives research cluster within the School. The module uses a variety of contemporary and historical case studies, rooted in staff research interests, to illustrate and explain the development (and historical context) of different intellectual traditions of geopolitics. 

The first half of the module is an extended case study about apartheid in South Africa and the international opposition to it. This case study is used to think geopolitically about the global Cold War of the late 20th century, and the ways in which this was connected to struggles for decolonisation. By considering anti-apartheid protest and resistance internationally, you'll explore the ways in which geopolitics is not just the preserve of politicians, policy-makers, and military strategists. 

The second half of the module examines a range of more contemporary issues, including the ways in which sexuality and gender identity have become matters of diplomatic concern to think differently about what counts as ‘geopolitics’.