Convention theory as a framework for discourse analysis in the field of international relations: a case study of the European Union's Arctic Policy

Resum

The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in the Arctic. Consequently, and due to emerging economic opportunities, this region has become one of the world's main geostrategic hotspots. Arctic states, nonArctic states and international organisations such as the European Union (EU) are seeking to access these opportunities. The theoretical frameworks about international relations have traditionally been used to understand relationships among states and between states and international organisations. This article leaves international relations theories aside and, divergently, uses sociology as an approach to analyse international relations. Additionally, it takes the analysis of the EU's discourse on the Arctic region as a case study. The primary objective of this research is to show that the sociological theory of conventions can be applied to discourse analysis in the field of international relations. This paper a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Salamanca (Spain). Visiting researcher at the Artic Governance Group in the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland (Finland). Email: ablopez@usal.es / ana.tarraga@ulapland.fi presents preliminary results derived from the use of this theoretical framework to analyse the content of EU's Arctic policy. The results are briefly discussed, and initial conclusions are drawn.