Stretching concepts at the cowshed: Towards relational, planetary, multispecies politics

For some years, the traditional conceptual frames of International Relations (IR) scholarship have been under fire. We have been encouraged to ‘sidestep’ classical IR concepts and ‘-isms’ in order to better engage the challenges facing varied human and non-human populations on the planet. In so doing, three distinct, yet seemingly interconnected, approaches have stood out: relational, planetary, and multispecies frames. While theoretical interventions have grown in confidence, practical questions abound: how do we ‘do IR differently’ in relational, planetary, and multispecies ways? This article tackles this crucial challenge for the future of IR theory and research practice. I argue that to do so we should start, not with abstract concepts, theories, or definitions, but rather by feeling, moving, and thinking in relations with others somewhere. To show what this might entail for IR, the article explores a process of engaging planetary multispecies relationalities in and around a cowshed in Wales, UK. It is argued that, far from being a peripheral site for IR, in the cowshed one can (1) more readily notice the limits of IR concepts and scales; (2) enable new analytical senses, connections and expressions to percolate to the fore; and (3) thus also gain a ‘sense’ not only of why relational planetary multispecies politics is so challenging for IR theory and practice but also what it would mean to ‘do IR differently’.