Current debates about surveillance demonstrate the complexity of political controversies whose uncertainty and moral ambiguities render normative consensus difficult to achieve. The question of how to study political controversies remains a challenge for IR scholars. Critical security studies scholars have begun to examine political controversies around surveillance by exploring changing security practices in the everyday. Yet, (de)legitimation practices have hitherto not been the focus of analysis. Following recent practice-oriented research, we develop a conceptual framework based on the notion of ‘narrative legitimation politics’. We first introduce the concept of ‘tests’ from Boltanski's pragmatic sociology to categorise the discursive context and different moral reference points (truth, reality, existence). Second, we combine pragmatic sociology with narrative analysis to enable the study of dominant justificatory practices. Third, we develop the framework through a practice-oriented exploration of the Snowden controversy with a focus on the US and Germany. We identify distinct justificatory practices in each test format linked to narrative devices (for example, plots, roles, metaphors) whose fluid, contested dynamics have the potential to effect change. The framework is particularly relevant for IR scholars interested in legitimacy issues, the normativity of practices, and the power of narratives.

中文翻译：

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争议中的监视：将叙事合法化政治概念化

当前关于监视的辩论表明政治争议的复杂性，其不确定性和道德模棱两可使得难以达成规范共识。如何研究政治争议的问题仍然是国际关系学者面临的挑战。批判性安全研究学者已经开始通过探索日常生活中不断变化的安全实践来研究围绕监视的政治争议。然而，迄今为止，（去）合法化实践并不是分析的重点。根据最近以实践为导向的研究，我们开发了一个基于“叙事合法化政治”概念的概念框架。我们首先从博尔坦斯基的语用社会学中引入“测试”的概念，对话语背景和不同的道德参照点（真理、现实、存在）进行分类。第二，我们将实用社会学与叙事分析相结合，以研究占主导地位的辩护实践。第三，我们通过对斯诺登争议的实践探索，以美国和德国为重点，制定了框架。我们在与叙事手段（例如情节、角色、隐喻）相关的每种测试形式中确定了不同的正当性实践，其流动的、有争议的动态有可能影响改变。该框架与对合法性问题、实践的规范性和叙述的力量感兴趣的国际关系学者特别相关。我们在与叙事手段（例如情节、角色、隐喻）相关的每种测试形式中确定了不同的正当性实践，其流动的、有争议的动态有可能影响改变。该框架与对合法性问题、实践的规范性和叙述的力量感兴趣的国际关系学者特别相关。我们在与叙事手段（例如情节、角色、隐喻）相关的每种测试形式中确定了不同的正当性实践，其流动的、有争议的动态有可能影响改变。该框架与对合法性问题、实践的规范性和叙述的力量感兴趣的国际关系学者特别相关。