Metanarratives as a Measurement of Proximity Between Nations

• In Event: Poster Session: Comparative Politics I

Abstract

Studying similarities (and dissimilarities) between nations can pose a major challenge for scholars of comparative politics. One way, is to base this comparison on nations’ identities, thus focusing on proximity between different political entities. Past work has focused on different types of proximity, including cultural, geographic and value proximity, all of which are known as influential factors of political behavior. Yet, mapping identities on the state level can pose a challenge as it can be an abstracted concept. Metanarrative analysis can provide an answer for this challenge, as national metanarrative serve as an interpretive socio-cultural framework that embodies the leading principles of the nation and guides it accordingly. In this paper we present a method for gauging metanarratives based on constitutive texts and present a map of proximities between nations’ metanarratives. Assuming that similar national metanarratives can be associated with behavioral similarities, we test whether relatedness in metanarratives can add to existing explanation of similarity in states’ voting in the UN general assembly. We discuss the implications of using metanarratives as a tool to measure proximity between nations, and suggest directions for future work.

Authors

• Yael Rivka Kaplan, Hebrew University

• Shaul Rafael Shenhav, Hebrew University of Jerusalem