Felix Berenskötter is Reader in International Relations in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He also directs the MA International Relations programme.

Felix holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a Masters degree from Rutgers University. From 2009 to 2024, he was based at SOAS University of London, where he also served as Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies. He was a Research Fellow at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College, a Leverhulme Research Fellow, and a Visiting Fellow at the American-German Institute in Washington, DC.

Felix served as an editor of Millennium: Journal of International Studies (Sage)and of the Journal of Global Security Studies (Oxford University Press). He founded and chaired the Theory Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), co-convened the Interpretivism in International Relations Working Group of the British International Studies Association (BISA) and served on the Governing Board of the European International Studies Association (EISA). He co-edits the book series Bristol Studies in International Theory (Bristol University Press).

Research Interests

• Theories and Concepts of World Politics
• Ontological Security
• Politics of Memory and Future Visions
• International Friendship
• European Peace and Security
• German Foreign Policy

Felix’ research explores how we develop and use theories and concepts in world politics, the analytical and political work they do. His work focuses on concepts of identity, power, security, temporality, anxiety, leadership, and friendship. He also is interested in what the evolution of theories and concepts – their popularity, marginalization, and contestation – tell us about the history and sociology of the academic field of International Relations (IR).

Empirically, Felix’ work explores ideas and practices of security and peace in Europe, as well as Germany’s special relationships with other states, such as the USA and Israel. He is currently completing a monograph developing a theory of friendship and estrangement in international politics.

Another area of interest is how we see the value of the university and its place in society, as an idea and in practice, and the politics surrounding this question.

• ORCID: 0000-0003-2284-5998
• Scopus Author ID: 16743760400

Teaching

2025-26 academic year:

• Global Politics (BA2)

• Theories, Concepts, and Methods in International Relations (PGT)

Felix Berenskötter is currently supervising five PhD students.

Selected Publications

• Berenskötter, Felix (ed) Concepts in International Relations. A New Introduction (Sage Publications), 2025
• Berenskötter, Felix and Borowetz, Taylor (2025) ‘Collective Memories, Concepts, and Experiences: Two Angles on the Political Process of Meaning-Making’, Millennium: Journal of International Studies 53, issue 3, pp. 704-730 
• Berenskötter, Felix and Mitrani, Mor (2022) ‘Is it Friendship? An Analysis of Contemporary German-Israeli Relations’, International Studies Quarterly, 66, Issue 1
• Berenskoetter, Felix and Nymalm, Nicola (2021) 'States of Ambivalence: Recovering the Concept of ‘the Stranger’ in International Relations',Review of International Studies 47, Issue 1, pp 19-38.
• Berenskoetter, Felix (2018) ‘Deep Theorizing in International Relations’, European Journal of International Relations 24, Issue 4, pp. 814-840

For a full list of publications, please visit the Research Portal.