Abstract
After the outbreak of a new war in Europe, the field of Strategic Studies is enjoying renewed attention and relevance. While this field, situated between history and political science, offers a wealth of knowledge on war, the field lacks ontological and epistemological diversity. Specifically, it lacks a critical tradition, akin to Critical Security Studies. The lack of such a tradition has meant that scholars pursuing constructivist or critical approaches tend to self-identify with (Critical) Security and thus are unable to make a mark on Strategic Studies. As a consequence, the ontological and epistemological foundations of the field have never been fundamentally questioned. The Western-centrism and state-centrism of the field have largely gone unchallenged, leaving the field ill-prepared to offer a deep and global understanding of war. In this paper, we develop a research agenda and an argument for the necessity of Critical Strategic Studies. We first offer an in-depth investigation of the state of Strategic Studies, analysing its research strands and traditions and assessing the extent of its ontological and epistemological diversity. Based on the limitations, gaps, and opportunities identified in this review as well as established critical traditions in Security Studies, Terrorism Studies and Intelligence Studies, the paper sketches a research agenda for Critical Strategic Studies. We argue that CSS is necessary to interrogate how the field produces knowledge, to provide alternatives to the hitherto hegemonic approaches, and to ensure that Strategic Studies is sufficiently diverse to allow for an in-depth understanding of war.
Panel: Knowledge Production on War