Kathryn Starnes completed a PhD in International Relations at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research interests include knowledge production in IR, practices that define and discipline IR, folklore, fairy tales and the politics of writing about and teaching IR.

'Why has no one done this before? Kathryn Starnes reads International Relations textbooks through a folklorist’s lens. The result is a fresh evaluation of the narratives that define our field.' - Lucian M. Ashworth, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada'Stories that textbooks tell are disciplinary fantasies presented as foundations. They establish ‘givens’ that (literally) circumscribe what will (and can) be studied. Starnes exposes both the power at play in these framing practices and the political stakes of failing to notice. Read this book: it is not a fairy tale!'- V Spike Peterson, University of Arizona, USA

• 1 Introduction2 Canon as a link between fairy tales and textbooks3 A folklorist approach4 Donkeyskin stories: the permissible5 Bluebeard stories: the forbidden6 Author framing and canon negotiations7 Conclusion

Kathryn Starnes completed a PhD in International Relations at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research interests include knowledge production in IR, practices that define and discipline IR, folklore, fairy tales and the politics of writing about and teaching IR.

'Why has no one done this before? Kathryn Starnes reads International Relations textbooks through a folklorist’s lens. The result is a fresh evaluation of the narratives that define our field.' - Lucian M. Ashworth, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada'Stories that textbooks tell are disciplinary fantasies presented as foundations. They establish ‘givens’ that (literally) circumscribe what will (and can) be studied. Starnes exposes both the power at play in these framing practices and the political stakes of failing to notice. Read this book: it is not a fairy tale!'- V Spike Peterson, University of Arizona, USA

• 1 Introduction2 Canon as a link between fairy tales and textbooks3 A folklorist approach4 Donkeyskin stories: the permissible5 Bluebeard stories: the forbidden6 Author framing and canon negotiations7 Conclusion

Kathryn Starnes completed a PhD in International Relations at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research interests include knowledge production in IR, practices that define and discipline IR, folklore, fairy tales and the politics of writing about and teaching IR.

'Why has no one done this before? Kathryn Starnes reads International Relations textbooks through a folklorist’s lens. The result is a fresh evaluation of the narratives that define our field.' - Lucian M. Ashworth, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada'Stories that textbooks tell are disciplinary fantasies presented as foundations. They establish ‘givens’ that (literally) circumscribe what will (and can) be studied. Starnes exposes both the power at play in these framing practices and the political stakes of failing to notice. Read this book: it is not a fairy tale!'- V Spike Peterson, University of Arizona, USA

• 1 Introduction2 Canon as a link between fairy tales and textbooks3 A folklorist approach4 Donkeyskin stories: the permissible5 Bluebeard stories: the forbidden6 Author framing and canon negotiations7 Conclusion