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Biography
Alexander completed his Undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham in Politics and International Relations in 2020, culminating in a dissertation on the Rule of Law in China. After this he went to the University of Essex to pursue Masters in Ideology and Discourse Analysis. There he proposed a thesis on the use of Structural Topic Models as an efficient means to study ideological morphologies. This thesis was focussed on Chinese politics, in particular the addressing of protesters' demands in the Hong Kong SAR, and how this had implications for the analysis of China's International Relations. His PhD is dedicated to the expansion and testing of his key findings, as well as the construction of a more thorough and rigorous methodology with which to look at China's rise.
Expertise Summary
Alexander's focus is on China's rise and the implications for the international system, more specifically it is dedicated to the drawing up of a coherent picture of the China Dream and its affect on the international system's norms. His analysis makes use of mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches to 'map' the changing international system, in particular, the key concepts and ideas that inform that system.
His approach to analysis is informed by post-structuralism, in particular the works of Michael Freeden, and Ernesto Laclau. He contends that such an approach allows for a flexibility in analysis, enabling the researcher to access a range of tools and ideas that best suit the 'puzzle' at hand. This appreciation for the contingent nature of political ideas and identities underpins his research.
Research Summary
Alexander's current research is on conceptualizing China's rise as a sea-change within international relations. A 'morphology' on its key ideas and concepts. Focussing on the China Dream as the… read more
Current Research
Alexander's current research is on conceptualizing China's rise as a sea-change within international relations. A 'morphology' on its key ideas and concepts. Focussing on the China Dream as the intersection of a nationalist project 'gone-global', projecting onto the international terrain. Alexander's focus questions what this means for the wider world, and how best to respond and understand it all.
Future Research
Alexander is keen to broaden the application of his methodology to different aspects of international relations and security.