decentering IR Flashcards
(39 cards)
what are the basic assumption about decentering IR?
- IR is a young discipline and Eurocentric
- IR is continuously progressing
- IR theories are nor neutral, nor objective
- everything is political
- colonialism is not over as globalisation expands
what does the decentered IR approach argue about approach to race?
decolonize approaches argue IR theories leave out aspects of race and people. e.g Hobbes talking about rights of men, didn’t mean women
what does Franz Fanon say on decolonisation process?
“decolonisation is always a violent process”
“decolonisation id further inherently violent because it questions the structures that have been legitimised by man”
why does what Fanon say mean decolonisation is violent?
people don’t like learning that their past was violent or bias and resist this thought
what is the problem with IR system?
Eurocentrism has effect on sovereignty, security and the idea of the Westphalian international system
what is the effect of Eurocentrism on actors?
Eurocentric view results in absence of actors and agency for people not in the global north as they have been historically left out
what is the Eurocentric world system?
Europe seen as the main reference point and actor in history and in international community, and other events in the world are less important
how is eurocentrism a mode of knowledge?
established the idea of European and western historical process and its political and ethical superiority.
establishes western hegemony
what is western hegemony?
the dominance of western ideology and states over the rest of the world which is seen as uncivilised
what is the solution to this problem of Eurocentric IR?
decolonial approaches, bringing questions of race and colonialism into world politics.
acknowledge intersectionality and the way people experience their own unique discrimination
how did IR become western dominated?
political domination of European empires and American superpower status led to western hegemony. the infrastructure and knowledge production in most non Western countries lacked capacity for informing policy around the world, with the belief that if its western its more popular
how are non-western thinkers and theories overlooked?
the dominant thought is that the west does it best, and theories trying to be universal come form a western experience. non-western elites felt cut off by the frameworks which they don’t identify. Also many conferences are in English which cuts of many non western scholars with good theories
what is postcolonial realism?
inspired by critical realism and is deconstructed approach, doesn’t focus on the state
what are the core assumptions of postcolonial realism?
- colonial discourses underlie and interact with material structures
- coloniality is a phenomenon made visible through actual events and experience not just labelling global south
- subaltern experience provide insight into nature of reality
- coloniality is power laden and often invisible and people don’t see the problem
- decolonisation must be global and target all domains of social world
what does postcolonial realism say on climate change?
we tackle crisis from Eurocentric view, radicalisation of experience of climate change and places suffering as result of colonialism
how is the way we talk about climate racial?
the people portrayed in the media as tackling the climate issue e.g extinction rebellion are white and are seen as ‘cool’ but we forget the attempts made in global south.
the idea time is running out in global north, but time has already run out in the global south
what is post-western IR? (global IR)
decentering theory that aims to overcome the west/non-west IR.
non-western IR rejects classic IR theories e.g Chinese IR argues can’t apply classic IR to china
argues for counter approach that transcends the ‘West vs the rest’
what does global IR argue?
disagrees with the view that existing methodologies need to be discarded as its not possible or desirable, but rather they need to be challenged and broadened with non-western ideas and prevent exclusion
what are some key issues in post colonialism?
- colonialism as system of total violence
- neo-colonialism as economic and political structure
- orientalism and otherness as modes of representations(giving the title of other)
- eurocentrism as intellectual habit/practise
- subaltern as the social position of the colonised
- modernity/coloniality as an overarching historical and philosophical culture
- boarder thinking, looking at issues by putting self in shoes of the colonised
what are the key points of post colonialism in IR?
- knowledge is not objective
- the world is hierarchal not anarchic
- the world doesn’t exist independently of us
- there are more than one version of history
- main cause of exploitation is the belief that other nations are inferior
- inequality is not accidental
what is the word order? what is it today?
looks at the way the world is organised, today we live under world order dominated by USA and Germany, with the USA and Europe coming up with best world order
what are the goals of the international order according to Hedley Bull?
- maintaining sovereignty
- upholding relative peace or absence of war
- limiting violence
- keeping promises and protecting property rights
what does post colonialism think of the nation state?
is not something natural but constructed, and constructed by Westphalian sovereignty, the nation and the state are very different
what is the difference between state and nation?
the state has defined territory, state has population and institutions. a nation os a cultural and ethnic entity and refers to groups of people. the state may not represent the nation
