Conference Program

This book is a genealogy of the social sciences based on illustrations taken mostly from the field of ‘International Relations’. It centers on the disciplinary constitution of truth and the modern construction of social facts, evidence, and proof as condition of canon, archives, and methods. Its aim to examine the ‘past’ of international relations with particular regard to the identities, values, and roles of multiple agents, subjects, and actors in bringing about international society. While it extensively discusses the institutionalization of Western power, interests, and identity in IR discourses, the project makes a case for a separation of the historically expressed Western wills, desires, and subjectivities from those projected or embraced by other constituent members of international society. Specifically, the project reconsiders the idea of ‘international relations,’ particularly its manifestation as a field of study, in light of postcolonial contestations of modern subjectivity and resulting identities and political economies. Related ‘findings’ are the bases for envisaging a new ethics as well as future political possibilities.

Author: Prof. Siba N. Grovogui | Cornell University | Department of Political Science