Essay

ESSAY: Understanding politics of racialisation is central to the study of IR (PAIR2001)

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Course
(PAIR2001)

Institution
University Of Southampton (UOS)

This essay looks into the politics of racialisation and focuses on: - IR as a Eurocentric study - Realism and Liberalism contribution to IR - Globalisation (Edward Said) and the concept of 'Othering' in global politics

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Uploaded on December 9, 2023
Number of pages 7
Written in 2022/2023
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade B

international relations
racialisation
global politics
ir

Institution
University of Southampton (UOS)
Education Unknown
Course
(PAIR2001)

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Understanding politics of racialisation is central to the study of IR. Discuss?

With international relations (IR) becoming more interconnected, and theories from all

centuries being debated, what is central to the study of IR is an extremely complex

discussion. However, the eurocentricity of IR along with the post-colonial structure of

globalisation highlight that understanding the politics of racialisation may actually be central

to the study of IR. Particularly when you delve into meta-theory for example, Democratic

Peace Theory and how it either disregards or incorrectly depicts the Middle East and North

Africa. However, IR theories such as Realism stress very relevant information that explain

the current state of IR and how and why states negotiate and their intention when making

global decisions. This paper also discusses Edward Said’s ‘The Other’ and how the western

world needs ‘The Other’ to prosper and have an economic and social gain. Overall, it seems

likely that racialisation is more ingrained in the study of IR than at first glance, particularly

with the rise of globalisation and the Global North and South divide which has organisations

utilise charities to have the Global North ‘save’ the South.

Understanding the politics of racialisation is central to the study of international relations (IR)

as IR can be argued to be an extremely white and Eurocentric study. To understand why the

eurocentricity of IR is central to its study, it is important to first recognise what IR is. At its

foundation and core, IR theory ‘allow us to understand and try to make sense of the world

around us through varies lenses’ (Gold and McGlinchey, 2017). To argue that IR theory is

white delves into the ‘epistemological tropes, locations, assumptions, and commitments

naturalise racialized accounts of world politics’ (Sabaratnam, 2020). For example, the

western world has celebrations for events that have been heavily glorified despite the lives

, lost and the racial motive. In the US, Columbus Day does not clearly depict the truly

historical events ‘Columbas did not discover the Americas…in contrast to the brave, civil,

and adventurous representations of Columbus, historical accounts reveal him to arguably be

one of the most brutal colonisers in recorded history’ (Eason et al., 2021 p.4-5; Zinn, 1999).

With a poll conducted in America showed that 56% maintain a positive impression of

Columbus (Knights of Columbus & Marist Polls, 2017). This eurocentric of IR is ingrained

in most IR theories such as the Democratic Peace Theory (DPT). The theory influenced by

Kant’s ‘Perpetual Peace’ was further evolved to claim that ‘democracies almost never go to

war against each another’ (Mello, 2014, p.1) however, not only does the record not prove this

but in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ‘ democratising states have experienced

more internal conflicts than their less democratic peers yet leaders in the west have invoked

DPA to justify invading and occupying less-democratic and notably less-white countries’

(Kelebogile Zvobgo and Loken, 2020). Therefore, the meta-theory of IR can be argued to be

inherently Eurocentric and white, highlighting that understanding political racialisation is

central to studying IR as the pre-existing theories are inconsiderate of the non-white Eastern

world.

On the other hand, understanding the politics of racialisation can be disputed as realism can

be argued to be central to the study of IR. Morganthau sets out the six principles of realism:

politics is governed through the constant and immutable roots of humans nature, states act

from their interest in power, the definition of power is not set and can change between

cultures, there is no political morality without prudence, states ‘clothe their own particular

aspirations and actions in the moral purposes of the universe’ and finally realists’ prioritise

the autonomy of the political sphere and think ‘interest defined as power’ (Hans Joachim

Morgenthau and Thompson, 1985). The realist theory is incredibly relevant to international

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