ABSTRACT
So far I have explored the concepts of hegemony and identity and discussed their intimate relationship as hegemonic orders construct specific identities, i.e. a Self is created by opposing it to an antagonistic Other. However, to systematically address these processes of exclusion and inclusion – to open the ‘black box’ of international hegemonies – a number of further steps needs to be taken. The present chapter develops the methodological tools to analyze the practices of hegemonic orders, which offer insights on how a particular meaning of terrorism and drugs has dominated the interpretation of both phenomena and marginalized alternative understandings. Essential to hegemonic operations is the ordering of the discursive space allowing for the orientation of meaning. Accordingly, equivalential relations with their ability to dichotomize this space are of crucial importance. How these relations are forged needs to be explored in detail to explain the construction of hegemonies. The same applies to differential relations, since their functioning can obstruct the establishment of hegemonies.
