Search

The paper, which is basically an enquiry into the current debate within International Relations (IR) on the (ir)relevance of culture, reveals how neither the discipline nor international relations as such seem to be as ?culture blank? as often claimed, and how the position taken in this debate might have far-reaching implica-tions for the image of international relations. Furthermore, the paper explores how an essentially contested concept like ?culture? is fraught with pitfalls. Thus, two main alternative ?cultural? approaches seem to have replaced the usual neglect of cultural diversity, resulting in a likewise problematic exaggerated focus on this theme, so that instead of being ?blind to culture? like large parts of mainstream IR, these new approaches rather appear to be ?blinded by culture?. Proponents of the so-called ?essentialist? approach to culture appear blinded by a conception of the absolute cultural difference of ?the Other?, while subscribers to the so-called ?relational approach? seem blinded by too much awareness of their own culturally specific perspective. So, even though the recent ?cultural turn? within IR has brought a new and welcome awareness of culture and sensitivity to issues of cultural diversity and the representation of Otherness, it seems as if the advocates of a ?culturalisation? of IR have until now been better at raising important and too-long-neglected questions, than at offering attractive answers to these. At the end of the paper, I therefore outline a number of alternative and (partly intersecting) avenues to proceed at, arguing that it may be wise even to forget the concept of culture for a while, if we want to continue along the road towards a better understanding of what sensitivity to cultural diversity might mean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]