Flavia Lucenti – författare

Global Resentment investigates the role of China and Russia in global politics, treating each country as a distinct case study. Its central premise is that both China and Russia have long sought recognition within the Liberal International Order but have perceived themselves as being excluded from the dominant social group, consisting mainly of Western or pro-Western actors. This has gradually fuelled a deep-seated resentment in both China and Russia.Specifically, this book focuses on understanding the roots and cognitive dynamics associated with resentment, how this feeling is intertwined with issues of state identity and how it is expressed through narrative. In doing so, it brings together scholarships on identity, status and emotion from International Relation theory and social psychology. This advances an emotional and socially experiential understanding of global politics, compromising between raw power politics and socio-cognitive constructions. It demonstrates how resentment can lead to different outcomes, such as the intensification of assertive or even aggressive actions that reduce a state’s willingness to adhere to rules; but it can also lead to more constructive goals aimed at satisfying identity-related needs. The exclusion of China and Russia from the in-group is not just seen as a political setback, but as a frustrating emotional experience from which they purposely seek redemption, striving to establish an alternative international order in which they can be socially recognised as great powers. The reimagination of the international order desired by both China and Russia is distinguished both by its rejection of liberal universalism and by its elevation of civilisational plurality. This includes acknowledging the different historical and cultural trajectories of various actors, such as China and Russia, as valid foundations for in-group inclusion and social recognition. The book’s innovation lies in showing that, once it has peaked, resentment can be channelled productively to strategically achieve social recognition.Global Resentment will be of significant interest to scholars and students of International Relations, Chinese Studies, Russian Studies, Social and Political Psychology, as well as to think tank analysts specialising in international politics. It will also appeal to journalists, commentators, policymakers, and practitioners concerned with Chinese and Russian domestic and foreign policy, and with international politics more broadly.

This book analyses the complex dynamics of international norm contestation and explores how norms adapt and withstand challenges in different settings. Examining the interplay between various types of contestation, norm robustness, and the resilience of norm clusters, it sheds light on what the authors define as ‘contestation in prism’. The book thus presents norm contestation as a multifaceted process with far-reaching implications. In this context, it further discusses different conceptions of contestation, ranging from reactive vs. proactive contestation and applicatory vs. validity contestation, to inadvertent, i.e. interpretive vs. deliberate contestation. It then develops a theoretical model that links contestation ‘in prism’ with studies of norm clusters, or norms that are embedded in broader normative structures and interwoven with other normative meanings. Based on a strong theoretical framing, the book presents in-depth analyses of norm contestation in areas such as regional organizations, nuclear non-proliferation, norms relating to atrocities, and international criminal law. Offering multifaceted perspectives on norm evolutions and their implications, this contribution will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of international relations and related disciplines, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of contestation and norm cluster resiliency.