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Harnessing theories of  IR beyond the European canon
  • Tareq,
  • MariaKetzmerick
Tareq

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MariaKetzmerick
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Abstract

While academia has made great strides towards a globalized, international discourse, much of this is due to the richness of empirical research. Particularly in the context of International Studies, notions of and ideas about the International Order have been challenged by scholars situated in the Global South. With regards to theories, the canonical and most salient works remain strongly European/Western. This is despite major non-European bodies of literature emerging in the context of Colonization/Decolonization which continue to shape local discourses, e.g. Négritude in African countries, Nahda in Arab-Islamic countries and Nihonjinron in Japan. This in turn influences both policy makers and the discourses they draw from when conducting International Relations. In this paper, we argue that theorists of IR can draw from how they describe the world, which elements of the international order they assign relevance, and the core questions they ask. Through this, we want to contribute to knowledge on non-western theories and approaches to social sciences from the Global South. We further aim at emphasizing the interconnectedness of theorists, retrace intellectual connections and discuss relevant contemporary issues in political and social theories in order to highlight the potential of theories for the global order.