Scholars of security studies are well poised to answer the question: “What do we know about war?” They are less self-reflective about a related question: “What wars do we know about?” Scholars lavish attention on some conflicts while others are relegated to the dustbin of history. This likely has important consequences not just for the bounded nature of our scholarly understanding of conflict and conflict processes, but also for the mental models that inform policymakers’ and practitioners’ day-to-day work.

In this talk as part of the Global Connections Speaker Series, Dr. Hendrix discusses the powerful influence of the “streetlight effect”—the tendency of scholars to focus on particular questions and cases for reasons of convenience and career opportunities, rather than theoretical importance or practical relevance—on security studies and international relations scholarship. The streetlight effect has led scholars and policymakers to focus on particular countries and conflicts at the expense of others, resulting in a biased state of knowledge about conflict processes and outcomes. The talk concludes with recommendations for addressing gaps in both our practical and theoretical knowledge.

For Dr. Hendrix's bio, click here.