Welcome to the Centre for the International Politics of Knowledge at Aberystwyth University!

We facilitate research on the dynamics, diffusion, and contestation of knowledge production and expertise in the field of international politics and the discipline of IR. 

Established in 2016 as a research hub in the Department of International Politics, the KNOWLEDGE Centre connects researchers at Aberystwyth and across the world, to stimulate intellectual exchange and innovative research about questions of knowledge, expertise and politics.

LATEST NEWS: Forthcoming in autumn 2025!

This timely handbook offers a comprehensive, critical overview of current research on knowledge and expertise in international politics that helps readers navigate the growing literature in the field and explore new research agendas.

The handbook is based on a shared understanding that knowledge and expertise matter in politics and that knowledge claims are a form of power warranting critical interrogation. The contributions are organized into five perspectives, highlighting the role of actors, practices, contexts, structures, and relations in the (re)production, circulation, and contestation of knowledge. The handbook addresses themes such as the ethics and politics of knowing, new technologies, and ways to democratize, decolonize, and pluralize politically relevant knowledge.

Bringing insights from different sub-disciplines and policy fields together in one place, Knowledge and Expertise in International Politics consolidates the international politics of knowledge as a new, transdisciplinary paradigm in the discipline, providing numerous points of connection with debates around pressing global challenges. With original theoretical expositions and granular thematic case studies, it is an invaluable companion to all those interested in adopting knowledge and expertise approaches in research, teaching, and policy work.