Sensible Politics : Visualizing International Relations

Visual images are a powerful force in international relations, and in Sensible Politics, William A. Callahan presents a unique analytical framework and a diverse range of sources to understand what visuals mean, and also how they can viscerally move and connect us in "affective communities of sense." It explores the visual geopolitics of war, peace, migration, and empire through an analysis of photographs, films, and art. It then expands the critical gaze to consider how "visual artifacts" -maps, veils, walls, gardens, and cyberspace-are sensory spaces where international politics comes alive in the politics of everyday life.

Visual images are everywhere in international politics. But how are we to understand them? In Sensible Politics, William A. Callahan uses his expertise in theory and filmmaking to explore not only what visuals mean, but also how visuals can viscerally move and connect us in "affective communities of sense." The book''s rich analysis of visual images (photographs, film, art) and visual artifacts (maps, veils, walls, gardens, cyberspace) shows how critical scholarship needs to push beyond issues of identity and security to appreciate the creative politics of social-ordering and world-ordering. Here "sensible politics" isn''t just sensory, but looks beyond icons and ideology to the affective politics of everyday life. It challenges our Eurocentric understanding of international politics by exploring the meaning and impact of visuals from Asia and the Middle East. Sensible Politics offers a unique approach to politics that allows us to not only think visually, but also feel visually-and creatively act visually for a multisensory appreciation of politics.