Research Article

Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context

Number: 86 October 25, 2025
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Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context

Abstract

The objective of this study is to explore the emergence and evolution of critical geopolitics as a theoretical framework in international relations. The study commences with a review of the transition from classical geopolitics, which placed significant emphasis on state-centric and territorially deterministic models, to post-structuralist approaches that have been known to challenge the objectivity of spatial and political categories. By integrating concepts of discourse, identity, and power/knowledge, post-structuralism laid the groundwork for critical geopolitics, which reconceptualizes geopolitics as a discursive practice. The article draws on the works of Foucault, Ó Tuathail, and Dalby to examine how geopolitical knowledge is produced and utilized in foreign policy discourse. To demonstrate the practical applicability of the present framework, the study briefly engages with US foreign policy discourse during the Pink Tide period in Latin America. Instead of emphasizing meticulous case studies, this illustration aims to underscore the pivotal role that geopolitics plays in elucidating the establishment of geopolitical dichotomies, such as ‘friends’ and ‘foes’, in regional strategic frameworks. The paper aims to contribute to two distinct but interconnected fields of study: the theoretical understanding of critical geopolitics and the analytical potential in interpreting contemporary foreign policy narratives.

Keywords

References

  1. Agnew, J. (2003). Geopolitics: Re-visioning world politics (2nd ed.). Routledge.
  2. Bleiker, R. (2001). The aesthetic turn in international political theory. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 30(3), 509–533. doi: 10.1177/03058298010300031201
  3. Burchill, S. (2005). Theories of international relations (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
  4. Campbell, D. (1992). Writing security: United States foreign policy and the politics of identity. University of Minnesota Press.
  5. Castañeda, J. (1993). Utopia unarmed: The Latin American left after the Cold War. Vintage Books.
  6. Castañeda, J. (2006). Latin America's left turn. Foreign Affairs, 85(3), 28–43. doi: 10.2307/20031965
  7. Clausewitz, C. von. (1976). On war (M. Howard & P. Paret, Eds. & Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1832)
  8. Dalby, S. (1991). Critical geopolitics: Discourse, difference, and dissent. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 9(3), 261–283. doi: 10.1068/d090261

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

American Studies, Regional Studies, International Relations Theories

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 25, 2025

Submission Date

August 1, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 25, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 86

APA
Arslan, H. (2025). Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 86, 298-312. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.1755666
AMA
1.Arslan H. Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2025;(86):298-312. doi:10.51290/dpusbe.1755666
Chicago
Arslan, Hazal. 2025. “Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, nos. 86: 298-312. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.1755666.
EndNote
Arslan H (October 1, 2025) Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 86 298–312.
IEEE
[1]H. Arslan, “Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context”, Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, no. 86, pp. 298–312, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.51290/dpusbe.1755666.
ISNAD
Arslan, Hazal. “Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 86 (October 1, 2025): 298-312. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.1755666.
JAMA
1.Arslan H. Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2025;:298–312.
MLA
Arslan, Hazal. “Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context”. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, no. 86, Oct. 2025, pp. 298-12, doi:10.51290/dpusbe.1755666.
Vancouver
1.Hazal Arslan. Reimagining Geopolitical Thought: The Critical Geopolitical Approach and the Pink Tide Context. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2025 Oct. 1;(86):298-312. doi:10.51290/dpusbe.1755666