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A Postcolonial International Relations? (POLS40014)
HonoursPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject introduces students to postcolonial thought as it might relate to the poltiics of the international. We will use postcolonial discourses to critique the deep Eurocentrism that characterizes so much of disciplinary international relations. Particular attention will be paid to development, security, the struggles of Indigenous peoples and the role of performance. Throughout questions will be raised about the problem of the nation-state, the prospects of rethinking the international from the perspective of everyday life, and the returns that might flow from using alternative source material (imaginative literature, visual culture) and writing differently. The course will mesh closely with seminars and other events at the Institute of Postcolonial Studies. So far as possible, it will be collaborative in nature. On completion of the subject, students should have an understanding of very different ways of approaching international politics, and be able to decide for themselves which kind of knowledges they wish to pursue.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students should:
- be able to relate postcolonial concerns to disciplinary international relations;
- be able to evaluate the argument that international relations is fundamentally Eurocentric;
- be able to engage with grassroots approaches to the international such as Subaltern Studies;
- be able to identify potential points of connection between critical security studies and postcolonialism;
- be in a position to take postcolonialism in new and exciting directions;
- be ready to commence research for a postgraduate thesis in international politics.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject students should:
- be able to apply research skills and critical methods to a field of inquiry;
- be able to develop persuasive arguments on a given topic;
- be able to communicate oral and written arguments and ideas effectively and articulately.
Last updated: 3 November 2022