Global Crisis

Theory, Method and
the Covid-19 Pandemic

Nadine Klopf

Based on the work of political theorist Ernesto Laclau, this book develops a novel theory of global crises. It conceptually advances the concept of "dislocation" to differentiate crises on multiple levels, enabling us to link different dimensions of contemporary crises. A methodical toolkit is tailored to the framework, which makes it possible to utilize the book theoretically and methodically for the analysis of global crises. An analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States serves as a hands-on illustration of how this framework can be utilized for practical analyses.

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"[...] develops a more systematic and coherent theoretical account of crisis that allows for a systematic understanding of present-day crises in their global and interrelated quality. Without doubt, it will become standard reading for anyone interested in the notion of crisis in the social sciences."

Prof. Dr. Dirk Nabers

Kiel University, Germany

"Klopf not only develops a theory of crisis based on the notion of dislocation, but successfully cleans up reoccurring ambiguities of its application in IR literature. The result is a sophisticated theory of crisis based on three independent yet interconnected dimensions [...]."

Dr. Erica Resende

Brazilian War College, Brazil

Dislocation

Toward a Framework
for the Study of Crises

Nadine Klopf and Dirk Nabers

This article develops a conceptual framework for the study of crises. Political theorist Ernesto Laclau's concept of "dislocation" is the cornerstone for this endeavor. Dislocation is conceptually advanced to account for the multidimensional character of crises. This allows us to understand crises in their broader sociopolitical context, which is illustrated using the example of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

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Monograph

Klopf, Nadine (2023): Global Crisis: Theory, Method and the Covid-19 Pandemic. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25140-5.

Journal Article

Klopf, Nadine and Dirk Nabers (2024): “Dislocation: Toward a Framework for the Study of Crises.” Global Studies Quarterly 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksae034.

Conference Papers

Klopf, Nadine (2024): “Multidimensional Crisis: Towards a Deleuzian Perspective.” Paper presented at the German Political Science Association (DVPW) Congress, Göttingen, Germany, September 24th – 27th, 2024.

Klopf, Nadine (2024): “Instability as Process: Towards a Process Theory of Social Instability.” Paper presented at the European International Studies Association (EISA) Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Lille, France, August 27th – 31st, 2024.

Klopf, Nadine (2023): “Crisis and Ontological (In)Security: Towards a New Framework.” Paper presented at the European International Studies Association (EISA) Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Potsdam, Germany, September 5th – 9th, 2023.

Klopf, Nadine (2023): “The Crisis-Security Nexus: Theorizing the Relationship Between Crisis and Ontological (In)Security.” Paper presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada, March 15th – 18th, 2023.

Klopf, Nadine (2022): “Towards a Multidimensional Approach to Global Crises: Discursive Dislocation, Social Vulnerability and Identity Construction in the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Paper presented at the European International Studies Association (EISA) Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Athens, Greece, September 1st – 4th, 2022.

Klopf, Nadine and Dirk Nabers (2022): “Multidimensional Crises: Towards a Framework for the Study of Global Politics.” Paper presented at the International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention, Nashville, TN, USA, March 28th – April 2nd, 2022.

Workshop Papers

Klopf, Nadine and Dirk Nabers (2025): “Crisis in Ontological Security Studies.” Paper prepared for the Workshop Creating Ontological Security in International Relations, organized by Cornelia Baciu and Brent J. Steele, Kiel, Germany, January 16th, 2025.

Klopf, Nadine (2024): “Instability as Process: Social Theory of Instability.” Paper prepared for the German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies (AFK) Workshop, organized by Frank A. Stengel and Lotta Mayer, for the AFK Theory Working Group, Kiel, Germany, December, 12th–13th, 2024.

Klopf, Nadine and Dirk Nabers (2024): “Negativity and Dislocation: Rethinking the Negative in Nietzsche and Deleuze.” Paper prepared for the Workshop Working with the Negative, organized by Valerie Waldow and David Chandler, at the European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS), Istanbul, Turkey, July 3rd – 5th, 2024.

Klopf, Nadine (2023): “Crisis and Ontological Insecurity: Towards a New Framework.” Paper prepared for the International Relations Theory Colloquium, organized by Stacie Goddard, Jennifer Mitzen and Sebastian Rosato, Virtual Event, November 2nd, 2023.

Klopf, Nadine (2023): “The Crisis-Security Nexus: Theorizing the Relationship Between Crisis and Ontological (In)Security.” Paper prepared for the Workshop International Theory, organized by the Journal International Theory and the International Studies Association (ISA) Theory Section, Montreal, Canada, March 14th, 2023.

Invited Talk

Klopf, Nadine (2023): “Dislocation and Social Instability [in German].” Presentation at the Network Meeting of the German Research Foundation (DFG) Network Sociology of the Un/Available, led by Katharina Block (DFG Project Nr. 441796652), Delmenhorst, Germany, March 23rd, 2023.