decentering IR

Question 1

what are the basic assumption about decentering IR?

Answer 1

1. IR is a young discipline and Eurocentric
2. IR is continuously progressing
3. IR theories are nor neutral, nor objective
4. everything is political
5. colonialism is not over as globalisation expands

Question 2

what does the decentered IR approach argue about approach to race?

Answer 2

decolonize approaches argue IR theories leave out aspects of race and people. e.g Hobbes talking about rights of men, didn’t mean women

Question 3

what does Franz Fanon say on decolonisation process?

Answer 3

“decolonisation is always a violent process”
“decolonisation id further inherently violent because it questions the structures that have been legitimised by man”

Question 4

why does what Fanon say mean decolonisation is violent?

Answer 4

people don’t like learning that their past was violent or bias and resist this thought

Question 5

what is the problem with IR system?

Answer 5

Eurocentrism has effect on sovereignty, security and the idea of the Westphalian international system

Question 6

what is the effect of Eurocentrism on actors?

Answer 6

Eurocentric view results in absence of actors and agency for people not in the global north as they have been historically left out

Question 7

what is the Eurocentric world system?

Answer 7

Europe seen as the main reference point and actor in history and in international community, and other events in the world are less important

Question 8

how is eurocentrism a mode of knowledge?

Answer 8

established the idea of European and western historical process and its political and ethical superiority.
establishes western hegemony

Question 9

what is western hegemony?

Answer 9

the dominance of western ideology and states over the rest of the world which is seen as uncivilised

Question 10

what is the solution to this problem of Eurocentric IR?

Answer 10

decolonial approaches, bringing questions of race and colonialism into world politics.
acknowledge intersectionality and the way people experience their own unique discrimination

Question 11

how did IR become western dominated?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

how are non-western thinkers and theories overlooked?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

what is postcolonial realism?

Answer 13

inspired by critical realism and is deconstructed approach, doesn’t focus on the state

Question 14

what are the core assumptions of postcolonial realism?

Answer 14

1. colonial discourses underlie and interact with material structures
2. coloniality is a phenomenon made visible through actual events and experience not just labelling global south
3. subaltern experience provide insight into nature of reality
4. coloniality is power laden and often invisible and people don’t see the problem
5. decolonisation must be global and target all domains of social world

Question 15

what does postcolonial realism say on climate change?

Answer 15

we tackle crisis from Eurocentric view, radicalisation of experience of climate change and places suffering as result of colonialism

Question 16

how is the way we talk about climate racial?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

what is post-western IR? (global IR)

Answer 17

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’

Question 18

what does global IR argue?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

what are some key issues in post colonialism?

Answer 19

1. colonialism as system of total violence
2. neo-colonialism as economic and political structure
3. orientalism and otherness as modes of representations(giving the title of other)
4. eurocentrism as intellectual habit/practise
5. subaltern as the social position of the colonised
6. modernity/coloniality as an overarching historical and philosophical culture
7. boarder thinking, looking at issues by putting self in shoes of the colonised

Question 20

what are the key points of post colonialism in IR?

Answer 20

1. knowledge is not objective
2. the world is hierarchal not anarchic
3. the world doesn’t exist independently of us
4. there are more than one version of history
5. main cause of exploitation is the belief that other nations are inferior
6. inequality is not accidental

Question 21

what is the word order? what is it today?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

what are the goals of the international order according to Hedley Bull?

Answer 22

1. maintaining sovereignty
2. upholding relative peace or absence of war
3. limiting violence
4. keeping promises and protecting property rights

Question 23

what does post colonialism think of the nation state?

Answer 23

is not something natural but constructed, and constructed by Westphalian sovereignty, the nation and the state are very different

Question 24

what is the difference between state and nation?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

what is pan-arabism?

Answer 25

a form of postcolonial socialism and nationalism. ideology calls for unification of the countries of the Arab world.
it has socialist principles and string opposition to western political involvement. e.g coup by Nasser in Egypt 1954 and united Arab republic, ended when Nasser assassinated

Question 26

what is islamism and the muslim brotherhood?

Answer 26

transnational sunni islamist social movement, was formed to form an islamic government. strong anti colonial drive and establish islamic state. initially promoted charity work and civil society but was slowly politicised throughout 20th c.

Question 27

what was the controversy with the muslim brotherhood?

Answer 27

the brotherhood began using concentration camps and brutal violent methods, it was outlawed to be a member in Egypt

Question 28

what positions of power have the brotherhood held?

Answer 28

after becoming legal again in 2012 they freely elected a president in Egypt but were overthrown in 2013

Question 29

what are the critiques of Neo-realism by subaltern realism?

Answer 29

1. too western centric
2. overlooks the majority of interstate conflicts outside the global north
3. promotes a definition of security that only applies to great power states
4. ignores decolonisation and the following state building process as a cause of conflict, only considers developed nations

Question 30

what is subaltern realism?

Answer 30

asks how does the impact of inequality in IR affect theorising in IR.
argues the desire for domestic order is more powerful motivating factor behind state behaviour

Question 31

what does subaltern realism focus on?

Answer 31

1. why a majority of states behave the way they do in the international system
2. the causes of majority of interstate conflicts

Question 32

what are the 5 variables to study conflict?

Answer 32

1. level of state building of the state involved
2. ethnic composition
3. contested territory
4. great powers involvement
5. international norms

Question 33

what are the criticisms of subaltern realism?

Answer 33

1. view of security is western centric and any way to keep security legitimised can lead to oppression
2. presumes the state security is always legitimate and attempts to improve security of population
3. sounds like realism in its view of security
4. still promotes that western states are more important and that there is a fixed idea

Question 34

what are examples of colonial projects?

Answer 34

the Middle East as colonial intervention and is only called “Middle East” in relation to europe

intervention in Israel seen as modern colonialism and created by an external power, reducing the land of Palestine

Question 35

how has there been an attempt to decolonise women and gender?

Answer 35

women historically portrayed as eternally oppressed, passive and victims, there has been a romanticisation of womens agency through a Liberal lens.
women drive change on the ground

Question 36

what is an example of the decolonisation of women and gender?

Answer 36

2011 saw uprisings of women chanting the revolution id female, women led movements instrumental to the overthrow of dictators

Question 37

what are the different types of decolonised feminism?

Answer 37

secular feminism: born out of the decolonial movement and Lebanon
Islamic feminism: challenges the conservative readings of islam, doesn’t challenge islam itself bit protects womens rights

Question 38

how is islam depicted in the west?

Answer 38

islam depicted as “anti-rational and anti-scientific that oppresses vast portions of the globe and maintains the idea most opposed to progress” - (Lockman,2009)

Question 39

what is islamism?

Answer 39

the belief that islam should guide social and political as well as personal life