International Institutions and Domestic Politics: Rethinking the Institutions–Identity Nexus

Identity politics are back – and the international institutions of the liberal order are taking the heat. While much analysis of the rejection of liberal institutions focuses on economic disadvantage or the influence of powerful states, this paper proposes a different explanation. I move beyond economics and power to theorize identity among ‘ordinary citizens’ as well as elites, capturing the subtle interplay between local and national identities and the broader senses of community promoted by international institutions and regional organizations. I argue the latter can and do shape identity, but these effects are refracted through domestic politics, and that daily lived experiences and articulated beliefs interact in this process. Identity, in other words, is constructed by both what we do and what we say. My argument draws upon concepts and methods from international relations theory and social anthropology, adding value greater than either could deliver alone. The goal is to theorize in new ways where and how identities are constructed, and the role of institutions in this process. The paper has four parts. I first explore how IR theorists and students of global governance have studied the international institution / identity relation, arguing that a reliance on a nation-state analogy and political science methods has hindered the development of a more complete understanding of how institutions shape community and identity. Second, I develop the theoretical argument – inspired by social anthropology – that is the article’s core. Methods and data are then discussed in a third section, as a central claim is that my inter-disciplinary move (to social anthropology) has methodological consequences for IR theorists. Fourth, I introduce the German case. It is not a fully developed case study; instead, I use it to demonstrate that Germans – from youth movements, to political parties, to the Chancellor – are debating what it means to be German and the country’s relation to Europe and European identity. In other words, it shows that the raw material is there, data that will allow me, at a later point, to apply the theory and methods advocated in the essay.