An Approximation of Ethnographic Contributions to Diplomatic Studies

Abstract

Objective/context: This research aims to bring closer contributions of the ethnographic approach to diplomatic works, both at a specific and a general level, in the discipline of International Relations, establishing connections, homologous methods, critical points, and inflections. Methodology: The article uses a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach to stress some classical and ontological categories of the international discipline, allowing a discussion of the scope, contributions, and novelty of the ethnographic method specifically for diplomatic studies. It also presents a review of specialized literature by authors who have studied the cultural variable in diplomatic studies. This approach allows examining basic premises of the discipline of International Relations, such as national interest, the constitution of the state, and state exclusivity in the diplomatic field, among other classic categories, that do not fully account for the existence of processes and emerging actors invisible in the internationalist debate. Conclusions: The article argues that the discipline of International Relations challenges its most representative arguments and categories by adhering to anthropological reflections. The results suggest that ethnographic approaches stress certain classical terms and ontologies of the international discipline, which has been possible through discussing the scope, contributions, and novelty of the ethnographic method specifically for diplomatic studies. Originality: This unpublished research study reveals a counterpoint between two large, apparently dissimilar theoretical corpora: anthropology and international relations.