Faculty Spotlight: Anatoly Reshetnikov, International Relations

Anatoly Reshetnikov joined the International Relations Department at Webster Vienna Private University in December 2018. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Central European University. Before joining Webster, Reshetnikov was a visiting researcher at University College London and Lund University and a grantee of the Swedish Institute and the CEU Budapest Foundation.

At Webster Vienna, Reshetnikov teaches courses in globalization, central and eastern European area studies, and methods of political inquiry. In Spring 2022, he will offer a brand-new BA course on Issues in International Relations, where students will get a chance to meet experts from the top international organizations and leading universities. They will also have space to debate the most pressing global issues, such as climate change, humanitarian crises, and various actors of the international underworld, such as illicit traders and foreign terrorist fighters.

We caught up with Reshetnikov to discuss his research and interests further.

What are your research interests?

I am very generally drawn towards all political analysis approaches that involve linguistic, historical, cultural, and communicative components. I am also a big fan of critical theory and fully support its premises and aims to unmask, redescribe, and amend the structural economic, social, and political inequalities, some of which keep growing as we speak.

More concretely, I have, so far, specialized in conceptual history, discourse analysis, and the politics of states that are generally believed to belong to Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on the post-soviet space. Having been born in Russia and having lived in Central Europe for almost a decade, I follow the politics and international relations in this region with keen interest.

Can you tell us a bit about the research you are currently conducting?

At the moment, I am writing up my book about the millennial evolution of Russia’s great power discourse, which I explored in my Ph.D. dissertation. Still, I also work on two brand-new research projects. In the first one, my co-authors and I are looking for political action in the domains that are traditionally believed to be out of politics, such as popular music and performative art. In authoritarian societies, where the sphere of formal politics is usually emptied of meaningful political debate, politics often gets exiled into adjacent spheres of social life where it finds new strength and gains momentum.

Paradoxically, despite working at the absolute interface between states and performing crucial roles in preventing and resolving conflicts, interpreters largely remain invisible for political analysis

In the second research project, I am looking at the often neglected profession, which bears paramount importance for international politics. I am referring to political interpreters and translators. Paradoxically, despite working at the absolute interface between states and performing crucial roles in preventing and resolving conflicts, these people largely remain invisible for political analysis. I am trying to understand the reasons behind this marginalization. To accomplish that, I am writing a critical history of political interpretation.

What topic/area in International Relations would you recommend everyone study or get informed about?

A lot of exciting research is currently being done on International Relations in the Anthropocene, International Political Sociology, Narrative Politics, and Critical International Relations. All these are the emerging subfields of the discipline that attract many original thinkers and push the boundaries of IR beyond its classical focus on international organizations and interstate politics. To those interested in Central and Eastern Europe, I highly (and shamelessly) recommend the New Perspectives journal, which I co-edit.

As a university student, what was your favorite class?

As a student, I always enjoyed all courses related to history and philosophy. I think that both intellectual activities help us see and experience the world in which we live from an angle different from how we relate to it in our everyday lives, i.e., through practical sense. The contrast between the practical and the historical-philosophical perspectives is often eye-opening.

What would you recommend to new and current International Relations students?

To find and pursue their intellectual passion, regardless of the discipline they happen to be the students of. After all, the disciplinary boundaries are but academic formalities. And each one of them allows for genuinely creative and exciting work. To those, who have already chosen their professional calling and came into IR with dedication and purpose, I recommend to keep pulling the weight – your efforts will be generously rewarded.

Any hidden talents you would like to share with the Webster community?

Lately, I have been into film photography, although it is difficult for me to judge if one could call it my true talent. All those willing to make that judgment are welcome to visit my Instagram page (@taulique). I had also dedicated many years of my life to volleyball and competed at the national level when I lived in Russia, but unfortunately, those times are over.