Diplomacy and Architecture: Embassies as Sites of Diplomatic Practice

Abstract In recent years, the places of international politics and diplomacy have increasingly become a focus of research, a trend to which the practice turn in International Relations has contributed significantly. However, the conceptual dimension of the relationship between diplomatic practice and the places where it takes place has received little attention to date. The present article aims to address this gap by arguing that the concept of site, as distinct from space and place, is well suited to render the interwovenness of practice and location visible. Theodore Schatzki’s “site ontology” offers a comprehensive framework for this, emphasizing the contextual nature of practice and site. The conceptual dimension will be illustrated here through an empirical case study, namely embassies. While the extant literature focuses primarily on the buildings of international organizations and international courts, embassies have not been the subject of such attention to date, even though they are also among the central sites of diplomacy. In the context of empirical research on the relationship between architecture and diplomacy, it becomes apparent that Schatzki’s site ontology remains comparatively abstract. For this reason, the sociological work on architecture by Thomas Gieryn is also drawn upon here. A further complement is provided by the three functions of architecture formulated by the architect Bernard Cache: separation, selection, and arrangement. The article concludes with some methodological considerations on how the interplay of practices and architecture can be empirically investigated. The central concepts in this context are resistance and the disruption of routines.