Prof. Dr. Alexander Spencer

Head of Programme

Prof. Dr. Alexander Spencer

Faculty of Humanities, Social Science & Education

Zschokkestr. 32, 39104 Magdeburg, G40-306

Tel.: +49 391 67-56657 Fax: +49 391 67-46575

Sprechzeiten: Only after prior arrangement.

Vita

Since Oct. 2017: Chair of International Relations (W-3), Institute of Social Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.
2016-2017: Acting Chair of International Relations (W-3), Institute of Social Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (Lehrstuhlvertretung).
2015-2016: Visiting Senior Research Fellow, School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex, UK.
2014-2015: Acting Chair of Global Governance and Public Policy (W-3), Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universtiy Munich (Lehrstuhlvertretung).
2010-2015: Habilitation in Political Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.
2010-2016: Assistant Professor, non-tenure track (Wissenschaftlicher Assistant, Akademischer Rat a.Z. (A13)) at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.
2005-2010: Dr. phil. (PhD equivalent) in Political Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.
2008-2009: Research and Teaching Associate (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) at the Department of Political Science, Technical University Munich.
2007-2008: Lecturer (Lehrkraft für besondere Aufgaben) at the Chair for International Relations, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.
2007-2008: Online Tutor (Lehrbeauftragter) in the International Relations Masters Online Program, Free University Berlin.
2005-2007: Teaching Fellow and Research Assistant (Lehrbeauftragter und Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft) at the Chair of International Politics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.
2003-2004: M.Sc. in International Relations, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
1998-2002: B.A. (Honours) in Political Science and Spanish, School of European Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, one year at the University of Granada, Spain.

Lectures and Seminars

Winter Term 2022/23

Research leave

Summer Term 2023

Winter Term 2022/23

Summer Term 2022

Winter Term 2021/22

Summer Term 2021

Winter Term 2020/21

Summer Term 2020

Winter Term 2019/20

Forschungsfreisemester

Summer Term 2019

Publications

Monographs (*Peer-Reviewed)

Romantic Narratives in International Politics: Rebels, Pirates and Mercenaries, Manchester: Manchester University Press (2016).*
The Tabloid Terrorist: The Predicative Construction of New Terrorism in the Media, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2010).*

Edited Volumes, Special Issues & Book Series (*Peer-Reviewed)

Visualization of Peace, Peace & Change, Special Issue, Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020) [mit Stephan Engelkamp & Kristina Roepstorff].*
Political Mistakes and Policy Failures in International Relations, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2018) [mit Andreas Kruck & Kai Oppermann].*
Fiascos in Public Policy and Foreign Policy, Journal for European Public Policy, Special Issue, Vol. 23, No. 5 (2016) [mit Kai Oppermann, [wiederabgedruckt als Kai Oppermann und Alexander Spencer (Hrsg.) Fiascos in Public Policy and Foreign Policy, London: Routledge (2017)].*
Reconciliation after Terrorism: Strategy, Possibility or Absurdity?, London: Routledge (2012) [mit Judith Renner, Taschenbuchausgabe 2014].*
Terrorismusforschung in Deutschland, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2011) [mit Kai Harbrich und Alexander Kocks].

Published Journals and Publication Series

Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Springer VS, 2017-2021 [mit Hartwig Hummel und Solveig Richter].
Politische Diskurse, Baden-Baden: Nomos, seit 2015 [mit Eva Herschinger und Judith Renner].

Journal Articles (Peer-Reviewed)

Kurdish Narratives of Conflict: The Politics of the Kurdish Question in Turkish Cinema, Journal of War & Cultural Studies (2021) [i.E. mit Laura Rehbein, Daniel Beck, Morgane Desoutter, Tina Rosner-Merker].
All just a bit of fun: The camouflaging and defending functions of humour in British and Swedish armed forces videos, in Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Vol. 34, No. 1 (2021), 65-84 [mit Daniel Beck].
Narrative Genres of Brexit: The Leave Campaign and the Success of Romance, in: Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 27, No. 5 (2020), 666-684 [mit Kai Oppermann].
Moving images: visual metaphors of peace in the movie Mango Dreams, in: Peace & Change, Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020), 126-150 [mit Stephan Engelkamp & Kristina Roepstorff].
State of the Art of Visualizing Peace, in: Peace & Change, Vol. 45, No. 1 (2020), 5-27 [mit Stephan Engelkamp & Kristina Roepstorff].
Heroes welcome: An exceptional story of ‘good’ refugees in the German tabloid discourse, in: Journal of Multicultural Discourses, Vol. 14, No. 3 (2019), 220-239 [mit Tim Heinkelmann-Wild & Daniel Beck]
Narratives and the Romantic Genre in IR: Dominant and Marginalized Stories of Arab Rebellion in Libya, in: International Politics, Vol. 56, No. 1 (2019), 123-140.
Once Upon a Time: Western Genres and Narrative Constructions of a Romantic Jihad, in: Journal of Language and Politics, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2019), 21-39 [mit Hanna Pfeifer].
Narrating success and failure: Congressional debates on the ‘Iran nuclear deal’, in: European Journal of International Relations, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2018), 268-292 [mit Kai Oppermann].
Studying Fiascos: Bringing Public and Foreign Policy Together, in: Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 23, No. 5 (2016), 643-652 [mit Kai Oppermann].
Telling Stories of Failure: Narrative Constructions of Foreign Policy Fiascos, in: Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 23, No. 5 (2016), 685-701 [mit Kai Oppermann.
Romantic stories of the pirate in IARRRH: The failure of linking piracy and terrorism narratives in Germany, in: International Studies Perspectives, Vol. 15, No. 3 (2014), 297-312.
Contested Stories of Commercial Security: Self and Media Narratives of Private Military Companies, in: Critical Studies on Security, Vol. 1, No. 3 (2013), 326-346 [mit Andreas Kruck].
De-Antagonising the Other: Changing Constructions of the Taliban and the Possibility of Reconciliation, in: Global Society, Vol. 27, No. 4 (2013), 475-496 [mit Judith Renner].
Thinking Alike? Salience and Metaphor Analysis as Cognitive Approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis, in: Foreign Policy Analysis, Vol. 9, No. 1 (2013), 39-56 [mit Kai Oppermann].
The Social Construction of Terrorism: Media, Metaphors and Policy Implications, in: Journal of International Relations and Development, Vol. 15, No. 3 (2012), 393-419.
Reconciliation with Al Qaeda?, in: Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2012), 202-209 [mit Judith Renner; wiederabgedruckt in Roger Mac Ginty (Hrsg.) Peacebuilding, London: Sage, (2014)].
Sic[k] of the New Terrorism Debate? A Response to our Critics, in: Critical Studies on Terrorism, Vol. 3, No. 3 (2011), 459-467.
Bild dir Deine Meinung. Die metaphorische Konstruktion des Terrorismus in den Medien, in: Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2011), 47-76 [wiederabgedruckt in Stephan Stetter, Carlo Masala und Marina Karbowski (Hrsg.) Mit Sicherheit unsicher? Debatten zu Krieg und Frieden in den internationalen Beziehungen, Baden Baden: Nomos (2014)].
International Relations at the Movies: Teaching and Learning About International Politics Through Film, in: Perspectives: The Review of International Affairs, Vol. 17, No.1 (2009), 83-104 [mit Stefan Engert].
The Metaphor of Terror: Terrorism Studies and the Constructivist Turn, in: Security Dialogue, Vol. 39, No. 6 (2008), 571-592 [mit Rainer Hülsse].
Counter-(T)error: the Role of Immigration in the Fight against Terrorism, in: Hamburg Review of Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2007), 58-79.
Questioning the Concept of 'New Terrorism', in: Peace, Conflict and Development, Vol. 8 (2006), 1-33.
Counter-Terrorism in New Europe, in: International Public Policy Review, Vol. 2, No.2 (2006), 92-112.
The Problems of Evaluating Counter-Terrorism, in: UNISCI Discussion Papers, No. 12 (2006), 179-201.

Contributions to Edited Volumes (*Peer-Reviewed)

Don’t take us seriously: The case of satirical narratives of institutional self-promotion in Swedish military recruitment, in Yannik Porsché, Ronny Scholz und Jaspal Naveel Singh (Hrsg.) Institutionality – Studies of Discursive and Material (Re-)ordering, Basingstock: Palgrave Macmillan [mit Daniel Beck; i.E.].*
Themen, Daten und Perspektiven: Entwicklungen in der Traditionellen und Kritischen Terrorismusforschung, in Liane Rothenberger, Joachim Krause, Jannis Jost und Kira Frankenthal (Hrsg.) Terrorismusforschung – Interdisziplinäres Handbuch für Theorie und Praxis, Baden-Baden: Nomos [mit Josephine Winkler; i.E.].
Narrativanalyse in der internationalen Politik: Romantische Geschichten des Piraten in Somalia, in Manuel Fröhlich (Hrsg.) Sprache und Politik: Perspektiven und Fallstudien zum Konstitutiven Medium des Politischen, Baden-Baden: Nomos [i.E.].
Bilder des Friedens? Die metaphorische Visualisierung von Frieden im Film, in Axel Heck und Gabi Schlag (Hrsg.) Visualität & Weltpolitik: Praktiken des Zeigens und Sehens in den Internationalen Beziehungen, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2020), pp. 215-244 [mit Stephan Engelkamp und Kristina Roepstorff].*
Introduction: Mistakes & Failure in International Relations, in Andreas Kruck, Kai Oppermann und Alexander Spencer (Hrsg.) Political Mistakes and Policy Failures in International Relations, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2018), pp. 1-29 [mit Andreas Kruck und Kai Oppermann].*
Narrative Constructions of Mistakes: Germany’s Refusal to Support Military Intervention in Libya, in Andreas Kruck, Kai Oppermann und Alexander Spencer (Hrsg.) Political Mistakes and Policy Failures in International Relations, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2018), pp. 55-77 [mit Kai Oppermann].*
War on Terror als Narrativ: Krieg der Erzählungen zwischen dem Westen und ISIS, in: Armin Flender, Volker M. Heins, Jo Reichertz, Jennifer Schellhöh (Hrsg.) Großerzählungen des Extremen, Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag (2018), pp. 195-210 [mit Hanna Pfeifer].
Terrorism and the News Media: Symbiosis, Control and Framing, in Rob Dover, Huw Dylan und Michael Goodman (Hrsg.) The Palgrave Handbook of Security, Risk & Intelligence, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2017), pp. 443-460.*
Rebels without a Cause: Narrative Analysis as a Method of Research on Rebel Movements, in Andreas Kruck und Andrea Schneiker (Hrsg.) Researching Non-State Actors in International Security. Theory & Practice, London: Routledge (2017), pp. 31-49.*
Terrorismus und internationale Politik, in Carlo Masala und Frank Sauer (Hrsg.) Handbuch der Internationalen Beziehungen, 2. überarbeitete Ausgabe, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2017), pp. 829-860 [mit Christopher Daase].
New Versus Old Terrorism, in Richard Jackson (Hrsg.) The Routledge Handbook on Critical Terrorism Studies, London: Routledge (2016), pp. 124-133.*
Metaphor Analysis as a Method in Terrorism Research, in Priya Dixit und Jacob Stump (Hrsg.) Critical Methods in Terrorism Studies, London: Routledge (2015), pp. 91-107.*
Bringing Transitional Justice to Terrorism Research: Possibilities, Pitfalls and Critical Voices, in Ioannis Tellidis und Harmonie Toros (Hrsg.) Researching Terrorism and Peace and Conflict Studies: Interaction, Synthesis, Opposition, London: Routledge (2015), pp. 64-80 [mit Judith Renner].*
Metaphorizing Terrorism: Al Qaeda in German and British Tabloids, in Susan Jeffords und Fahed Al-Sumait (Hrsg.) Covering Bin Laden: Global Media and the World’s Most Wanted Man, Champaign: University of Illinois Press (2015), pp. 73-94.*
Vom „Söldner“ zum „Samariter“? Die narrativen Grenzen strategischer Imagekonstruktion von privaten Sicherheitsdienstleistern, in Wilhelm Hofmann, Judith Renner und Katja Teich (Hrsg.) Narrative Formen der Politik, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2014), pp. 145-168 [mit Andreas Kruck].
Bild dir Deine Meinung. Die metaphorische Konstruktion des Terrorismus in den Medien, in Carlo Masala, Stephan Stetter und Marina Karbowski (Hrsg.) Mit Sicherheit unsicher? Debatten zu Krieg und Frieden in den internationalen Beziehungen, Baden Baden: Nomos (2014), pp. 47-77 [Wiederabdruck].
Reconciliation with Al Qaeda?, in Roger Mac Ginty (Hrsg.) Peacebuilding (Sage Library of International Relations), London: Sage (2014), [mit Judith Renner; Wiederabdruck].
Bilder der Gewalt: 9/11 in der Boulevardpresse, in Monika Schwarz-Friesel und Jan-Henning Kromminga (Hrsg.) Metaphern der Gewalt. Konzeptualisierungen von Terrorismus in den Medien vor und nach 9/11, Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag (2014), pp. 111-127.
The Myth of New Terrorism, in Stuart Gottlieb (Hrsg.) Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism, 2. überarbeitete Ausgabe, Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press (2013), pp. 4-15.*
Haben wir gewonnen? Die Messbarkeit von Sicherheit im Anti-Terror Kampf, in Christopher Daase, Stefan Engert und Julian Junk (Hrsg.) Verunsicherte Gesellschaft - überforderter Staat: Zum Wandel der Sicherheitskultur, Frankfurt a.M.: Campus (2013), pp. 57-76.
Introduction: Reconciling the Seemingly Irreconcilable, in Judith Renner und Alexander Spencer (Hrsg.) Reconciliation after Terrorism, London: Routledge (2012), pp. 1-23 [mit Judith Renner].*
Conclusion: The (Im)possibility of Reconciliation in Afghanistan and the ‘War on Terror, in Judith Renner und Alexander Spencer (Hrsg.) Reconciliation after Terrorism, London: Routledge (2012), pp. 205-220 [mit Judith Renner].*
The Governance of Counter-Terrorism and the Constitution of Threat in Britain, in Kai Oppermann (Hrsg.) British Foreign and Security Policy: Historical Legacies and Current Challenges, Augsburg: Wissner-Verlag (2012), pp. 207-228.
“Happiness is Just a Teardrop Away”: A Neo-Marxist Interpretation of Shrek, in Aurélie Lacassagne, Tim Nieguth und François Dépelteau (Hrsg.) Investigating Shrek: Power, Identity and Ideology, Basingstoke: Palgrave (2011), pp. 59-72 [mit Andreas Kruck und Judith Renner].*
Old and New European Counter-Terrorism, in Paul Heywood, Erik Jones, Martin Rhodes und Ulrich Sedelmeier (Hrsg.) Developments in European Politics 2, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2011), pp. 281-299.*
Die Entwicklung der deutschen Terrorismusforschung: auf dem Weg zu einer ontologischen und epistemologischen Bestandsaufnahme, in Alexander Spencer, Alexander Kocks und Kai Harbrich (Hrsg.) Terrorismusforschung in Deutschland, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2011), pp. 9-21 [mit Alexander Kocks und Kai Harbrich].
Stand und Perspektiven der Politikwissenschaftlichen Terrorismusforschung, in Alexander Spencer, Alexander Kocks und Kai Harbrich (Hrsg.) Terrorismusforschung in Deutschland, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2011), pp. 25-47 [mit Christopher Daase].
Ein Goldenes Zeitalter der Terrorismusforschung oder macht der Letzte bitte das Licht aus? in Alexander Spencer, Alexander Kocks und Kai Harbrich (Hrsg.) Terrorismusforschung in Deutschland, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2011), pp. 306-322 [mit Kai Harbrich und Alexander Kocks].
No: The “new terrorism” of al-Qaeda is not so new, in Stuart Gottlieb (Hrsg.) Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism, Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press (2010), pp. 4-15.*
Terrorismus, in Carlo Masala, Frank Sauer und Andreas Wilhelm (Hrsg.) Handbuch der Internationalen Politik, Wiesbaden: Springer VS (2010), pp. 403-425 [mit Christopher Daase].

Policy Papers and other Publications (Selection)

Einleitung zum Forum: „Die Corona-Pandemie – Konflikt und Frieden in einer veränderten Welt“, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Vol. 9, No. 2, (2020), [Online First; mit Hartwig Hummel und Solveig Richter].
Einleitung zum Forum: „Evaluation der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung durch den Wissenschaftsrat“, Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Vol. 9, No. 1, (2020), 101-104 [mit Hartwig Hummel und Solveig Richter].
Trump, Brexit & ‘Post-Truth’: How Post-Structuralist IR Theories can help us understand World Order in the 21st Century, Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, Vol. 28, No. 3 (2018), 315-321 [mit Judith Renner].
Images, visions and narrative identity formation of ISIS: a reply, Global Discourse, Vol. 7, No 2-3 (2017), 260-263.
„Es war einmal ein Fehler…“: Fiaskos als Narrative in der Außenpolitik, Zeitschrift für Politik, Vol. 62, No. 2 (2016), 156-169 [mit Kai Oppermann].
Ein deutsches Fiasko? Deutschlands Enthaltung bei der UN-Resolution zu Libyen oder was die Internationalen Beziehungen von der Erzählforschung lernen können, CAS Aviso, No. 9 (2014) [mit Kai Oppermann].
Lessons Learnt. Terrorism and the Media, AHRC Public Policy Series, No. 4 (2012).
From War to Reconciliation: Changing Security Strategies Towards the Taliban from Bush to Obama, Peace in Progress, Issue 10 (2011) [mit Judith Renner].
Don’t Mention the War or the World Cup: A Report on a British-German IR Conference, Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008), 303-315 [mit Kai Oppermann].
Linking Immigrants and Terrorists: The Use of Immigration as an Anti-Terror Policy, The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Vol. 8, No. 1 (2008), 1-24.
Deutsche Terrorismusforschung: Interdisziplinarität in der Terrorismusforschung, WeltTrends, No. 63 (2008), 134-135 [mit Jakob Biazza].
Investigating the ‘Immigrant Terrorist’ as a National Security Concern, Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict, 2007-2008 Annual Edition, 53-71.
Using Immigration Policies as a Tool in the War on Terror, Crossroads, Vol. 7, No. 1 (2007), 17-53.

Research Focus

Critical security studies
Discourse analysis
Constructivism
Foreign policy
Non-state actors
Terrorism

PhD at our Chair

The chair of International Relations offers the opportunity to complete your individual research project in the field of peace and conflict studies, international relations or a closely-related subject area.

A PhD or rather the German equivalent “Dr. phil.” is a substantial scientific piece of work which takes on average 4-5 years to complete.

There currently is no graduate school or structured PhD programme. PhDs are supervised individually by Alexander Spencer and the supervision is tailored according to the individual needs and abilities of the candidates.

This includes a research seminar each term in which all the PhD students and scientific staff of the chair present their current research in order to get feedback. PhD students are expected to participate in these seminars on a regular basis.

For those interested in pursuing an academic career after their PhD, the chair offers PhD students the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience and give seminars in the Master’s Programme of PACS, voluntarily and on topics of their individual research focus.

For detailed information please visit: PhD at the Chair of International Relations