In this episode, Laura Zanotti presents on her latest book, Ontological Entanglements, Agency and Ethics in International Relations - Exploring the Crossroads (Routledge Interventions, 2019), which addresses the implications of embracing quantum physics’ entangled ontology for International Relations' conceptualizations of agency and ethics. The book argues that an entangled ontological imaginary opens the way for re-imagining how as humans we inhabit the world. It nurtures an ethos of responsibility and it raises the bar for adjudicating the ethical validity of political initiatives beyond abstract principles.

Laura Zanotti is Professor in the Dept. of Political Science at Virginia Tech. Dr. Zanotti’s research and teaching include critical political theory, international ethics as well as UN peacekeeping and NGOs. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Dr. Zanotti was a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute in San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy. She also served as a Visiting Professor at the School of International Relations, Trento University, Italy. Before becoming an academic, Dr. Zanotti worked at the United Nations, where she served both in administration and as a political officer for Peacekeeping Operations. She spent several years in the field, both in Haiti and in Croatia, where she performed the functions of the Deputy to the Head of the United Nations Liaison Office.