Studying Diplomatic Practices Through The Lens Of Direct Observation

Christian Lequesne (1)

1 CERI - Centre de recherches internationales (Sciences Po, CNRS)

In the discussed case, the author explains his chosen method of direct observation for examining the practices of French diplomats. Influenced by the Practice Theory, the author is convinced that International Relations scholars have to undertake more ethnographic fieldwork for the analysis of foreign policy and international relations. This case study explains how the scholar obtained access to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, how he worked inside the institution, and the kind of material he has been able to collect during his observation.

Keywords: methods; case studies; diplomacy; France; international relations; foreign policy

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Political science

Christian Lequesne. Studying Diplomatic Practices Through The Lens Of Direct Observation. [Research Report] SAGE Publications. 2019, pp.9. ⟨hal-01985778⟩