Costas M. Constantinou

Biography

Costas M. Constantinou is Professor of International Relations at the University of Cyprus, with cross-cutting interests in diplomacy, conflict, international political theory, and legal and normative aspects of international relations. In his research, he uses autoethnography, cultural resources and facets of the Cyprus conflict as a means for thinking the diplomatic, the international, the exceptional and the ethical – and, vice versa, for understanding modes of living and acting locally. Besides Cyprus, he has conducted fieldwork in India, Nepal, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey and Kenya. For information and access to selected publications – books, articles and the documentary The Third Motherland – see http://works.bepress.com/costas_constantinou Studied for his Bachelor in Law and Politics at Keele University, postagraduate studies in International Law and Diplomacy (with distinction) and scholarship-funded PhD at Lancaster University. He taught as Lecturer at Hull University, Senior Lecturer and Professor at Keele University, and the University of Nicosia. He also held visiting teaching appointments at Lancaster University, Taras Shevchenko University, Kiev, and the Middle East Technical University, Ankara. His research has received international awards and external funding by, inter alia, the EU 7th Framework Programme, EEA Grants and the Leverhulme Trust. He locally collaborated on research projects with PRIO Cyprus Centre and the Home for Cooperation. He has supervised 13 doctoral theses and served as external examiner and assessor at European, American, African and Australian universities. He serves on various editorial boards, inter alia, International Political Sociology, Politics, Religion and Ideology and the book series Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies of Palgrave Macmillan. He also serves on the Geostrategic Council of the Republic of Cyprus and the Committee of Experts for the Protection-Revival of Cypriot Maronite Arabic. He teaches the following courses: KPE 540 – International Political Theory (postgraduate) KPE 641 – Diplomacy (postgraduate) KPE 377 – Power and Legitimation in International Politics (undergraduate) KPE 153 – International Relations (undergraduate) He co-ordinates the MA in Political Science (International Relations and European Politics pathways), the Summer School in Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Research Workshop on International Relations.

Research Interest

Diplomacy Conflict International Political Theory Legal and Normative Aspects of IR Current research focuses on the following: (1) The Right to Diplomacy: exploring the conceptual history of the ius legationis, and focusing empirically on struggles over the recognition of non-state actors and marginalized issues at the United Nations. (2) Biodiplomacy: focusing on the idea of vitalism and social interaction, with particular interest on the coexistence of diverse ways of living (with Sam Okoth Opondo) (3) The Diplomacy of the Borderscape: examining how security, ecology and identity are negotiated in border regions and buffer zones, focusing on Kastellorizo-Kas and the UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus (with Maria Hadjimichael and Marinos Papaioakeim – funded by a UCY research grant)