Responsibility in International Relations Theory and Practice: Introducing the Handbook

This chapter introduces the rationale, structure and content of the Handbook. It introduces the concept of responsibilization, which refers to the political and normative struggle taking place in specific policy fields with the attempt to negotiate who is responsible for what. Following the observation that responsibility has become increasingly prominent in world politics, the chapter contends that who is responsible and what for poses questions about the subject and object of these relations. The chapter presents a model of responsibility relations, which incorporates this constellation, while also highlighting the role of the speaker in invoking responsibility. The chapter argues that responsibilization is thus embedded in particular contexts: discursive interventions may reveal particular claims concerning authority and legitimacy as well as questions of inclusion and exclusion, which the speaker supports, would like to alter, or build from scratch.