And if International Relations were Also Resonant? Exploring the Planetary Through Acoustics

Abstract Since the aesthetic turn, International Relations (IR) have been enriched by a more in-depth inclusion of representations in knowledge production. This trend is connected to a strong interest in the visual dimension. Nevertheless, the acoustic dimension, namely the sonic, aural and audible component of human life, remains too limited and even more in the approaches of the planetary politics in the field. How the role of acoustics could emerge with the main ambition to propose a sensitive approach, i.e. a finer perspective than emotions that are already particularly difficult to grasp? Inspired by the concept of resonance created by the sociologist Rosa, this paper proposes to articulate the affective and acoustics turns in IR to observe some relations to the planetary. This research relies on a sound data-basis elaborated during the 2020 lockdown and explores how it addresses the planetary thanks to sensitive conducts towards acoustics in this context.