UROP Project
Rhetorical Repositioning in a New Global Order: Middle Powers and the Politics of Refusal
Foucault, middle powers, global order, international relations, discourse analysis
Research Mentor: Dr. Bryant Harden,
Department, College, Affiliation: Center for Global Engagement / International Affairs, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: bharden@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Center for Global Engagement / International Affairs, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: bharden@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: International Affairs
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: International Affairs
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
This project examines how middle powers are using political rhetoric to reposition themselves within a fracturing global order. Drawing on Foucault's concept of counter-conduct, the project asks how states that are neither superpowers nor peripheral actors use public rhetoric to resist, redirect, or renegotiate the terms of global governance rather than reject them outright. The project builds on my ongoing research applying governmentality and counter-conduct frameworks to American soft power institutions and extends that theoretical lens to a comparative set of contemporary cases, including Canada, Mexico, India, and Brazil.In the fall semester, the research assistant will conduct a structured literature review covering two areas: Foucauldian governmentality and counter-conduct as applied in International Relations, and existing scholarship on middle-power diplomacy and rhetoric. This review will help refine the theoretical framework and identify comparable cases and rhetorical patterns already documented in the literature.
In the spring semester, the research assistant will help collect and organize primary source material, including speeches, official statements, and press coverage from the identified middle-power cases, and assist with a structured coding process to identify recurring rhetorical strategies (for example, appeals to sovereignty, selective alignment, or reframing of multilateral institutions). This data collection will directly inform an in-progress book chapter and support a longer-term research agenda that may extend into a co-authored article or contribute to a broader book project.
This project offers the research assistant hands-on experience with qualitative discourse analysis, primary source research, and the practical steps of moving from theoretical framework to empirical case study, while contributing directly to an active publication.
Research Tasks: Literature Review, Data Collection, Data Analysis
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: (Required) Strong reading comprehension and interest in political theory or international relations; Comfort with close reading and qualitative analysis of texts; Attention to detail and organizational skills for managing a primary source database; Prior coursework in IR theory, political theory, or a related field.