Negotiating Multilateralism

Where does the term multilateralism, as it is used in world politics, come from? How does its history make its current use possible? This dissertation specifies the relations instantiated by its use in politics to a variety of entities, ideas, and actions, with a particular focus on the time period 1919-1960. By exploring its use in diplomatic documents (primarily via the Foreign Relations of the United States series) and in mass media (primarily via the New York Times), this study concludes that multilateralism is an evolving, negotiated concept. In analyzing its use with greater precision by identifying the discursive practical relations being made, this dissertation advances our understanding of multilateralism's history, limits, and possibilities. Greater knowledge of the histories and relations between political concepts should be able to contribute to our explanations of politics.