Books by Renata Summa
Palgrave, Critical Security Studies on the Global South, 2020
This book provides an in-depth analysis of border and boundary enactments in post-war and “deeply... more This book provides an in-depth analysis of border and boundary enactments in post-war and “deeply divided” societies. By exploring everyday places in post-conflict societies, it critically examines official narratives of how ethno-national divisions arise and are sustained. It challenges traditional accounts regarding the role that international intervention has in producing and/or weakening boundaries in such societies, while questioning clear-cut distinctions between the local and the international.
Papers by Renata Summa
Everyday Boundaries, Borders and Post Conflict Societies
Security, Ethnography and Discourse
24 de abril de 1915. Seiscentos intelectuais armenios sao presos em Istambul e divididos em dois ... more 24 de abril de 1915. Seiscentos intelectuais armenios sao presos em Istambul e divididos em dois grupos. Cada um segue para cidades distintas, mas o destino e o mesmo: a morte. Esse nao foi o primeiro ato cometido pelos Jovens Turcos contra a minoria armenia do Imperio Otomano e nem sera o ultimo. Estima-se que 1,5 milhao de armenios foram mortos entre 1915 e 1918 no episodio que ficou conhecido como o primeiro genocidio cometido por um Estado moderno. Apesar dos documentos e testemunhos recolhidos ao longo dos anos, a Turquia continua negando o genocidio. Mas a pressao internacional em torno deste assunto cresce e a comunidade armenia tem esperanca de ver, em breve, o reconhecimento do genocidio pela Turquia. Enquanto isso, vozes armenias se pronunciam para pedir justica e contar memorias que estao vivas dentro de cada um deles.
Globalizations
This paper offers an interpretation of the ideology expressed by Jair Bolsonaro, current presiden... more This paper offers an interpretation of the ideology expressed by Jair Bolsonaro, current president of Brazil, as a Brazilian far-right neoliberal nationalism, which typically distinguishes between the members of the nation and its traitors and enemies, creating an authoritarian atmosphere of governance combined with the defense of neoliberal values. To establish the bases that sustain this ideology, we investigate four key arenas of his administration – family issues; the anti-left rhetoric; the call for a mixed-race identity; and Brazilian foreign policy. We sustain that Bolsonaro’s discourse, instead of revealing a fragmented political project, actually articulates a powerful and authoritarian image of the Brazilian nation, while also reinforcing the idea of individual entrepreneurship and traditional morality. Although this project is deeply informed by past national ideological traditions, it is also aligned with the expansion of the far right internationally and sheds light to ...
Space and Polity
In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Most... more In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Mostar within much broader academic debates on 'ethnically divided cities'. We question the representations of such contested cities as hopeless spaces of division, and suggest to explore instead the cracks that challenge overpowering logics of partition: the self-directed attempts at inter-ethnic solidarity, grassroots movements for social justice and dignity, and the inconsistent ways people in these cities inhabit and perform ethnic identities. We also introduce the themes of this Special Issue; Divided Cities as Complex Cities; Memories, Affect and Everyday Life; and Grassroots Politics.
Globalizations, 2021
This paper offers an interpretation of the ideology expressed by Jair Bolsonaro, current presiden... more This paper offers an interpretation of the ideology expressed by Jair Bolsonaro, current president of Brazil, as a Brazilian far-right neoliberal nationalism, which typically distinguishes between the members of the nation and its traitors and enemies, creating an authoritarian atmosphere of governance combined with the defense of neoliberal values. To establish the bases that sustain this ideology, we investigate four key arenas of his administration – family issues; the anti-left rhetoric; the call for a mixed-race identity; and Brazilian foreign policy. We sustain that Bolsonaro’s discourse, instead of revealing a fragmented political project, actually articulates a powerful and authoritarian image of the Brazilian nation, while also reinforcing the idea of individual entrepreneurship and traditional morality. Although this project is deeply informed by past national ideological traditions, it is also aligned with the expansion of the far right internationally and sheds light to its dynamics in periphery countries.
Space and Polity
In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Most... more In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Mostar within much broader academic debates on 'ethnically divided cities'. We question the representations of such contested cities as hopeless spaces of division, and suggest to explore instead the cracks that challenge overpowering logics of partition: the self-directed attempts at inter-ethnic solidarity, grassroots movements for social justice and dignity, and the inconsistent ways people in these cities inhabit and perform ethnic identities. We also introduce the themes of this Special Issue; Divided Cities as Complex Cities; Memories, Affect and Everyday Life; and Grassroots Politics.
Space and Polity, 2019
This article looks at everyday encounters in Mostar to investigate how boundaries are enacted and... more This article looks at everyday encounters in Mostar to investigate how boundaries are enacted and displaced by its dwellers. Drawing on participant observation in two cafes, it considers boundaries not only in their spatial capacity, but in a confluence of space and time. It reflects on how owners and customers mobilize the idea of the pre-war city as a space of interethnic tolerance to criticize the contemporary city. It discusses how the creation of temporal boundaries complicate the narrative of the divided city and sheds light on attempts to restore places of co-existence in sharp contrast to the prevalent social order.
Space and Polity, 2019
In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Most... more In this introduction, we discuss the scope of the edited volume by outlining the position of Mostar within much broader academic debates on ‘ethnically divided cities’. We question the representations of such contested cities as hopeless spaces of division, and suggest to explore instead the cracks that challenge overpowering logics of partition: the self-directed attempts at inter-ethnic solidarity, grassroots movements for social justice and dignity, and the inconsistent ways people in these cities inhabit and perform ethnic identities. We also introduce the themes of this Special Issue; Divided Cities as Complex Cities; Memories, Affect and Everyday Life; and Grassroots Politics.
HADES – Revista Interdisciplinar do Grupo de Pesquisa Conflitos Armados, Massacres e Genocídios na Era Contemporânea da UNIFESP, 2017
Resumo: Este artigo analisa as operações de paz na Bósnia e Herzegovina. Partimos do convite lanç... more Resumo: Este artigo analisa as operações de paz na Bósnia e Herzegovina. Partimos do convite lançado por Bellamy para tentarmos enxergar as operações de paz para além de uma ótica instrumentalista de solução de problemas, adotando uma posição normativa e crítica em relação à atuação das forças de paz na Bósnia. Para isso, iremos analisar, na primeira parte, quais as transformações ocorridas na teoria e prática das operações de paz com o fim da Guerra Fria e após grandes fracassos da ONU durante os anos 1990, e como a missão de paz do pós-guerra na Bósnia se insere nesse contexto. Na segunda parte, analisaremos mais precisamente como essas mudanças de paradigma afetaram a política e economia da Bósnia. Palavras-chave: Operações de Paz; Bósnia e Herzegovina; Peacebuilding. Abstract: This article analyzes the peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We start from Bellamy's (2004) invitation to look at peace operations beyond an instrumentalist and problem solving approach, adopting, instead, a normative and critical position regarding the role of peacekeepers in Bosnia. Therefore, we will analyze, in the first part, the transformations that took place in theory and practice of peace operations with the end of the Cold War, and after major UN failures during the 1990s. We will discuss the ways in which the peace operation in Bosnia falls within that context. In the second part, we analyze more precisely how these paradigm shifts have affected politics and economy in Bosnia. Resumen: Este artículo analiza las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz en Bosnia y Herzegovina. Partimos de la llamada lanzada por Bellamy para tratar de las operaciones de paz bajo una posición normativa y crítica sobre el papel de las fuerzas de paz en Bosnia. Para ello, vamos a examinar, en la primera parte, las transformaciones en la teoría y la práctica de las operaciones de paz con el final de la Guerra Fría y después de los fallos principales de las Naciones Unidas durante la década de 1990, y como la misión de la paz después de la guerra en Bosnia cae dentro de ese contexto. En la segunda parte, se analizan con mayor precisión cómo estos cambios de paradigma han afectado a la economía y política en Bosnia. Palabras-clave: Operaciones de Paz; Bosnia y Herzegovina; Peacebuilding. Os acordos de Dayton, conduzidos pelo secretário de Estado americano Warren Cristopher e assinados em 14 de dezembro de 1995 em Paris pelos então presidente sérvio, Slobodan Milosevic, croata, Franjo Tudjdman e bósnio, Alija Izetbegovic, Doutora em Relações Internacionais pela PUC-Rio, e professora do Instituto de Relações Internacionais da PUC-Rio.
Book chapters by Renata Summa
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies, 2021
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the ex-Yugoslavia region experienced a series of conflicts foll... more During the 1990s and early 2000s, the ex-Yugoslavia region experienced a series of conflicts following the breakup of the country. The United Nations (UN) provided the main institutional response to the wars that erupted in ex-Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1999, deploying peacekeeping missions in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and Macedonia and participating on a mission in Kosovo. At the same time, the ex-Yugoslavia region became a site that shaped the future of UN missions and established parameters for “success” and “failure.” Episodes like the genocide in Srebrenica, which had been declared a “safe area” by the UN forces in BiH, drove the organization into reshaping its doctrines and strategies for future peacekeeping engagements. Moreover, the UN also got involved in bolder initiatives of statebuilding following the wars in BiH and Kosovo.
Fieldwork as Failure Living and Knowing in the Field of International Relations, 2020
This extract from my field notes, written a month before I had to leave
Sarajevo on my second res... more This extract from my field notes, written a month before I had to leave
Sarajevo on my second research trip for my Ph.D. thesis, illustrates two main
concerns that I had during my research, and which will be at the centre of this
chapter. The first one, which I discuss in the following section, is the attempt
to ‘capture the city’. Indeed, the text above exposes the anxieties of realising
the difficulty of understanding ‘what is really going on’ in Sarajevo and the
desire to blend in the everyday of the city to ‘grasp it’. Although I had already
reflected on the problems of treating the fieldwork as raw data that the
researcher can collect to arrive at a ‘true account’ of the situation on the
ground, I still could not completely overcome those scholarly assumptions
that isolate ‘theory’ from the ‘real world’ and distinguish the subject from the
object.
The second concern is the multiplicity of experiences which comprise the
fieldwork. How do we translate the myriad of narratives, interviews, opinions
and the variety of life stories into coherent social analysis? How do we
translate the sounds, rhythms, emotions, coffee breaks, friendships,
breakdowns, and failures into a cohesive text? How do we translate the
inconsistences of the everyday life of fieldwork into knowledge? Those are
the questions that I will tackle in the second part of this chapter.
Human Rights and Conflict Resolution: Bridging the Theoretical and Practical Divide, 2017
This chapter offers a transversal analysis of the institutional mechanisms that are in place for ... more This chapter offers a transversal analysis of the institutional mechanisms that are in place for the promotion and protection of human rights and for conflict resolution within regional organizations and adds to the literature on global governance a specific view of the role of regional organizations. These activities are a crucial component of global governance mechanisms and are a constituent of a broader tendency for a division of labor between the United Nations (UN) and regional organizations. Global governance occurs at different levels, and one of these levels is regional. This regional governance is part of a more general process of diffusion of authority and offers us a specific view into global institutional architecture, which is the tendency of norm diffusion through regional organizations.
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Books by Renata Summa
Papers by Renata Summa
Book chapters by Renata Summa
Sarajevo on my second research trip for my Ph.D. thesis, illustrates two main
concerns that I had during my research, and which will be at the centre of this
chapter. The first one, which I discuss in the following section, is the attempt
to ‘capture the city’. Indeed, the text above exposes the anxieties of realising
the difficulty of understanding ‘what is really going on’ in Sarajevo and the
desire to blend in the everyday of the city to ‘grasp it’. Although I had already
reflected on the problems of treating the fieldwork as raw data that the
researcher can collect to arrive at a ‘true account’ of the situation on the
ground, I still could not completely overcome those scholarly assumptions
that isolate ‘theory’ from the ‘real world’ and distinguish the subject from the
object.
The second concern is the multiplicity of experiences which comprise the
fieldwork. How do we translate the myriad of narratives, interviews, opinions
and the variety of life stories into coherent social analysis? How do we
translate the sounds, rhythms, emotions, coffee breaks, friendships,
breakdowns, and failures into a cohesive text? How do we translate the
inconsistences of the everyday life of fieldwork into knowledge? Those are
the questions that I will tackle in the second part of this chapter.
Sarajevo on my second research trip for my Ph.D. thesis, illustrates two main
concerns that I had during my research, and which will be at the centre of this
chapter. The first one, which I discuss in the following section, is the attempt
to ‘capture the city’. Indeed, the text above exposes the anxieties of realising
the difficulty of understanding ‘what is really going on’ in Sarajevo and the
desire to blend in the everyday of the city to ‘grasp it’. Although I had already
reflected on the problems of treating the fieldwork as raw data that the
researcher can collect to arrive at a ‘true account’ of the situation on the
ground, I still could not completely overcome those scholarly assumptions
that isolate ‘theory’ from the ‘real world’ and distinguish the subject from the
object.
The second concern is the multiplicity of experiences which comprise the
fieldwork. How do we translate the myriad of narratives, interviews, opinions
and the variety of life stories into coherent social analysis? How do we
translate the sounds, rhythms, emotions, coffee breaks, friendships,
breakdowns, and failures into a cohesive text? How do we translate the
inconsistences of the everyday life of fieldwork into knowledge? Those are
the questions that I will tackle in the second part of this chapter.