The Visual International Relations Project

Abstract

Abstract International studies, which in the twenty-first century exists as a global, multifaceted and interdisciplinary enterprise, is ready for a turn toward graphic communication. Evidence is mounting that the complexity of international studies is over and beyond what can be managed, intellectually speaking, through an approach that relies overwhelmingly on the exchange of words. Effective communication throughout international studies requires a turn toward graphic means. Thus, the Visual International Relations Project (VIRP) is introduced in this article as a pathway toward more effective conveyance between and among sectors of international studies. Work within the VIRP focuses on creation of an archive that will be available to members of the International Studies Association (ISA). Work proceeds in six sections. The first section provides an overview of the communication-related challenges facing international studies as scholarship becomes increasingly global in scope and diverse with regard to theorizing and methods applied. Section two makes the case for a visual approach to combat intellectual isolation that is intensifying as a result of communication through words alone. Along with a few alternatives in section three, the foundation for a recommended graphic turn, systemism, is introduced. Systemism emphasizes completeness and visual representation of theorizing. Section four applies a graphic method based on systemism to depict works of scholarship in a common format. Value added from visual representation of these scholarly works is demonstrated in section five, within which communication takes place between and among them. Section six sums up the contributions of the graphic approach based on systemism and explores future directions for research.