Theme 3: International Relations and the Reproduction of Colonial Hierarchies Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the focus of the analysis in Theme 3?
This final analysis moves beyond the domestic and considers how colonial structures shape interactions in the international arena, particularly among postcolonial states.
How does Nayar critique postcolonial theory in the context of international relations?
Nayar argues that postcolonial theory often fails to address contemporary transformations such as globalisation, technological advancement, and new forms of imperialism.
How does the essay respond to Nayar’s critique?
Rather than discarding postcolonial theory, the essay extends it by incorporating racial capitalism to interrogate how historical colonial hierarchies continue to structure contemporary South–South relations.
How do soft power and normative power theory explain the emergence of South–South cooperation (SSC)?
To look at another perspective, soft power and normative power theory can explain how South–South cooperation (SSC) has often been presented as a site of resistance to the colonial order.
Its emergence in the post-independence era was emblematic of a desire to reconfigure global governance.
What was the significance of the 1955 Bandung Conference?
As Prashad documents in his seminal text The Darker Nations, the 1955 Bandung Conference marked a seminal moment.
It brought together Afro-Asian states in a collective refusal of both Western imperialism and Cold War bipolarity.
Sukarno’s call for a united front against “colonialism in whatever form it appears” found resonance across the non-aligned delegates.
How did the Third World Project attempt to reconstruct the international order?
By promoting egalitarian global relations and demanding economic sovereignty, as seen in initiatives like the New International Economic Order (NIEO) and the G-77.
What did Raul Prebisch argue regarding international trade relations?
Prebisch argued that trade relations replicated colonial dependency, with primary producers in the South subordinated to industrial centres in the North.
How is SSC portrayed by some government actors, and what critique does the essay offer?
SSC is often celebrated as solidarity and mutual aid, but this narrative can obscure the persistence of racialised hierarchies and structural dependency.
What concern does Du Bois raise regarding racial capitalism?
Writing in the aftermath of WW1, Du Bois argues that racial hierarchies are embedded in the global capitalist division of labour, warning that postcolonial states may replicate global hierarchies in their pursuit of development.
How is China’s role in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean framed in the essay?
Scholars critique China’s extractivist investments for mimicking dependency-producing practices, raising concerns about the perpetuation of colonial logics.
How does Selina Ho critique Chinese investments in postcolonial states?
Ho contends that infrastructure-for-resources deals and opaque loans replicate IMF-style dependency, challenging the narrative of South–South solidarity.
What does Rithmire’s typology reveal about Chinese capital in the Global South?
Rithmire argues that Chinese capital is not monolithic; it operates through diverse actors, including state-owned enterprises, private firms, and provincial entities, each with distinct logics of accumulation.
How does Franceschini and Loubere’s analysis address the racialisation of China in global discourse?
They argue that China is often depicted as a civilisational outlier, reinforcing orientalist tropes that position it as an alien, deviant actor in global capitalism.
How does Edward Said’s concept of discursive formation apply to the portrayal of China?
Said’s concept highlights how China is constructed as the “Other” of global capital, shaping both critiques of its investments and the reception of these investments by postcolonial states.
How does the essay relate Du Bois’s critique to China’s global initiatives?
The essay situates Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) within the broader pattern of global racial capitalism, suggesting that China’s strategy may reproduce rather than dismantle global hierarchies.
How does China’s engagement in Somalia illustrate its broader strategic aims?
In Somalia, China ties infrastructural development to diplomatic recognition, notably in denying Taiwan, aligning economic investments with strategic geopolitical interests.
How does the essay challenge the framing of Chinese investment as either purely neocolonial or purely horizontal?
The essay argues that such binary framing obscures the nuanced nature of Chinese capital, which must be situated within the global circuits of capital shaped by histories of racialisation and hierarchy.
How do the racial logics of empire persist in South–South Cooperation?
Racial hierarchies continue to operate through investment, aid, and diplomatic interactions, where the Global South remains a contested space shaped by historical grievances and contemporary power asymmetries.
How does the essay conclude its analysis of postcolonial international relations?
It asserts that the postcolonial world is not a flat terrain of solidarity but a complex arena where old hierarchies are reworked through new modalities such as economic investment, diplomatic recognition, and ideological alignment.
Why is Francis Fukuyama relevant
“End of History” thesis posits liberal teleology finds purchase here as there was an expectation for China to assimilate its governance style upon integrating into the global market
