International trade

Political science

Politics

European union

Computer science

Political economy

Sociology

Brexit

Economics

Sovereign state

Nexus (standard)

Socialization

International relations

Embedded system

Sovereignty

Social science

Global Studies Quarterly

The international roles states play in world politics are bound up with the ways in which sovereignty is constructed within the international system. While scholarship on sovereignty has recognized its social construction, and role research emphasizes social interactions as shaping roles and role behaviors, little work has explored the relationship between sovereignty and roles. Linking roles and sovereignty offers a distinct perspective on the social construction of sovereignty, providing a broad conception of socialization, emphasizing agency, and bridging domestic politics and international relations. We develop the concept of a “sovereignty–role nexus” through an examination of Brexit, revealing, through processes of role contestation and role socialization, multiple and competing constructions of the nature and value of sovereignty. While Brexit is unique, we suggest that these dynamics will affect other cases where states face role changes linked to sovereignty concerns.

Role Theory, Foreign Policy, and the Social Construction of Sovereignty: Brexit Stage Right