Game of Thrones and the Theories of International Relations

For eight seasons the hit HBO series Game of Thrones painted a picture of a fantasy world filled with images such as white walkers (the undead), a three-eyed raven, and dragons. All these elements set the series visually apart, far distant from our realities. And yet, after each episode and season, viewers were left pondering about the wars, political games, diplomacy, and human rights violations that somehow resonated with the world today. Laura D. Young and Ñusta Carranza Ko’s groundbreaking book provides the answers to these questions that international relations scholars, historians, and fans have been wanting to know. How does Game of Thrones mirror international politics and how may the series provide a useful tool for better understanding the theories, concepts, and thematic issues in international relations? Game of Thrones and the Theories of International Relations connects the prominent international relations theories—realism, liberalism, constructivism, and critical identity theories—to the series, providing examples from various characters whose actions reflect applied scenarios of decision-making and strategizing.

Laura Young and Ñusta Carranza Ko have authored an easily digestible guide to the basic theories and concepts of International Relations through the lens of the hit TV series Game of Thrones. . . Given the popularity of the show, especially among the 18-29 demographic, this volume seems perfectly suited for introductory classes to International Relations and for fans of the show who want to learn more about politics. . . . Overall, this is an informative and engaging introduction to International Relations. It gives fans of the show a reason to revisit it in a more thoughtful, nuanced manner than a typical first viewing entails. It also gives professors another option to engage students in the study of international relations., “The HBO series Game of Thrones has been the television phenomenon of this decade. The franchise provides an excellent lens through which we glimpse both the emergence of the state and nascent interactions among states (or kingdoms, in this case). Laura Young and Nusta Carranza Ko present a masterful analysis of international relations in light of GOT plots and characters, employing the series to illustrate core ideas and concepts. The book walks us through a thorough dissection of IR theory, and moves on to discussion of political elements that appear throughout the series: various identities on Westeros and Essos, human rights as understood in the series’ pre-modern world, and the roles of indigenous peoples as they relate to the series’ political systems. The latter is a fresh and original contribution to literature on TV shows and politics. Winter may have come and the White Walkers have been defeated, but this book will keep IR students warm and thinking on their own snowy night watches.”, “Tying together an array of commentary, history, theory and literary analysis, Ko and Young have written the definitive primer on what the tragedies of Westeros and Essos tell us about how to understand world politics... the learned Maesters of the Citadel would be proud, and the international relations professors of the world have an exciting new tool at their disposal!”, “Game of Thrones and the Theories of International Relations is an effective and creative tool to understand International Relations theory. It will be one of the key pieces in the pop culture tools to teach the field.”

Ñusta Carranza Ko is assistant professor of global affairs and human security at University of Baltimore.Laura D. Young is assistant professor of political science at Georgia Gwinnett College.