Intro to IR / field of knowledge Flashcards
Defining features of Eurocentrism
Assumption of European centrality in the human past and present
Europe is seen as separate and distinct from the rest
Self-contained and self-generating
Intrinsic in the construction of realism
How is Eurocentrism manifested in the traditions of realism, liberalism and constructivism?
Liberal democracy and ethical principles associated with the enlightenment
dominance of the west in institutions
E/C definition of war and peace impacts view of security
differing social, political, economic significance which is not easily encompassed in standard Eurocentric readings
How according to Laffey can we best study world politics and security
Understanding security relations NOW requires that we DISCARD Eurocentric assumptions about the world and how it works
moving beyond taken-for-granted historical periodisations and chronologies
Case study: Cuban missile crisis - faults with standard accounts
crisis wrongly perceived as eyeball to eyeball - superpowers only
dynamics and variables overlooked by policymakers and scholars
reproducing Eurocentric assumption that agency only resides in great powers
Highlighted power dynamics
Raised questions about client states and global politics
Case study: WWII - faults with standard accounts
core debate between liberals and realists in origins and aftermath
war continued for some years after 1945 in ukraine, vietnam and korea
What does it mean to see two things as mutually constitutive?
the numerous and diverse ways in which the weak and strong are bound together
how does seeing things as mutually constitutive help us think about the identity of the west
The West is defined through a series of contrasts regarding rationality, progress, and development in which the non-West is generally found lacking
In what sense is the politics of Security Studies the politics of the strong? Why is this a problem?
In conventional form, security studies takes the perspective of the powerful, of those who have colonised, dominated and competed over the world. There is a politics to security studies and it is the politics of the strong.
How has capitalism impacted on women’s lives and status? How is this related to space and social order?
Not only did the growth of capitalism in Europe have an effect on the gendered division of labor and the meaning of work; gender structures also shaped economic change.
Why is progress problematic for feminists?
historical moments marked as progressive, have rarely been so for women
e.g early stages of capitalism and state formation saw women as a group experience a shrinking of social and personal opinions
How has the dominance of winners affected the representation of women?
history is usually written by the winners
historically, most women could not read or write, could have rarely been chroniclers of their own past
average woman in history remained almost invisible
How is knowledge related to power?
learning though helpful has divided human kinds in that certain people and places agency while denying it to others == knowledge as power is intrinsically linked to domination as well as to enlightenment
who are knowledge producers?
important to engage with change - active agents of learning - implications and criticality of context
international relations is written by and for the powerful
who are legitimate actors and in turn what is the impact and source of power
KEY THINKER - Weber
father of the modern IR theory
State = legitimate force over citizens
KEY THINKER - Thucydides
the founding father of the IR discipline (Votti & Kauppi, 1987)
Athenian General
“Those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future…
Not […] to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time (History of the Peloponnesian War)
KEY THINKER - Hobbes
Writing coincides with the emergence of the Westphalian state system
IR as a power struggle
state of nature = war against all
What gets lost by the collective school of thought?
IR is written ‘by and for the powerful’
Theories based on local conflicts treated as universal truths
Doesn’t acknowledge the impact and ‘source’ of the power
What does ‘the scientific way of seeing’ miss?
Abstraction misses specific historical context, such as slavery and violence (too historical, too descriptive, doesn’t belong to IR but to history or anthropology, etc).
Ignore the relationship between power and knowledge à knowledge systems are always socially and politically informed
Race, Empire & IR - negative implications
IR to ensure efficient political admin & race development… complex race formations overseas
Empire is lost in the ahistorical theorising
KEY THINKER: Nyamnjoh
studies “vicious cycle” of knowledge production
Where objectivity is often distorted by obvious or subtle ideology, African scholars face a critical choice between sacrificing relevance for recognition or recognition for relevance
What is IR as a field of knowledge?
Intersects political science and IR theories
goes beyond traditional conflict/security studies
Why is IR important?
Understanding contextual implications
What causes power related conflict? war?
Key thinkers and their views
Max Weber: Influential figure, member of Versailles Peace delegation.
E.H. Carr: Advocated for a scientific approach to IR.
Thomas Hobbes: Viewed IR as a struggle for power.
Thucydides: Considered the founding father of IR.
Paul Vitalis: Focused on political administration and race development.
What role did WW1 play in shaping IR?
Sparked fundamental shifts in global systems
Emergence of IR as a distinct field of study
Influenced key thinkers and theories
Where was IR first taught?
1919
University of Aberystwyth
FIrst institutional site for the discipline - pioneered the formal study of IR as a field
