Article # 3
Pluralising International Relations with the Global IR Agenda
Pluralising International Relations with the Global IR Agenda
Iona Clayton
Keywords :
Eurocentrism ; Global International Relations ; pluralism ; alternative worldviews
Abstract
How global is International Relations really ? The discipline of International Relations ( IR ) has long been criticised for its Eurocentric foundations and perspectives . At the International Studies Association ( ISA ) Convention in 2014 , the ISA President , Amitav Acharya , promoted the novel Global IR agenda . Constituted of six dimensions , the Agenda seeks to globalise the IR discipline . This article will first define International Relations , linking a broad definition to the root of Eurocentrism within the discipline . It provides three reasons as to how Eurocentrism remains a problem for the IR discipline . It will then outline the six dimensions of the Global IR Agenda : ( i ) pluralistic universalism ; ( ii ) a grounding in world history ; ( iii ) integration of Western and non-Western theories ; ( iv ) integration of regionalism and area studies ; ( v ) renouncing of exceptionalism ; ( vi ) and recognising multiple forms of agency . A brief evaluation of the Agenda suggests there are at least five potential obstacles for Global IR . The objective of this article is to promote the Global IR Agenda in its attempt to make the IR discipline more inclusive for ideas , scholars , and regions .
DOI :
Eurocentrism in International Relations
There are three arguments to suggest that IR is a Eurocentric discipline : ( 1 ) its imperial origins in nineteenth-century Europe ; ( 2 ) the prevalence of the myths of 1648 and 1919 which suggest European superiority of ideas and concepts ; ( 3 ) the application of Western theories on a universal basis and ignoring local divergencies and interests . There is some literature which assesses American dominance over the IR discipline , however , that is not the focus of this article as it is another issue entirely ( Hoffman , 1977:41 ). This article primarily seeks to promote the need for the Global IR Agenda by providing evidence of continuing Eurocentrism within the IR discipline and furthering the case of how and why the Agenda should be implemented into mainstream IR , such as by introducing undergraduate students to Global IR within the first year of their degrees ( Powell , 2019:12 ).
How International Relations is defined as a disciplinary field is evidence of its parochial Eurocentric focus . The discipline is often defined as having a focus on war , states , and international
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