Struggles for recognition have long constituted a central focus of discussion in Political Theory, as reflected in the work of Charles Taylor (1994), Nancy Fraser (1997; Fraser and Honneth, 2003), and, above all, Axel Honneth (1992; 1996; 2004). More recently, the debate has crossed the disciplinary boundary into the field of International Relations (IR). A growing number of International Relations (IR) scholars draw on it to explore how the desire of state and non-state actors to have their identities or social status recognized by others can drive and shape international conflicts (e.g. Agné et al., 2013; Greenhill, 2008; Lindemann and Ringmar, 2012).¹