Alternatives to the State: Or, Why a Non-Western IR Must Be a Revolutionary Science

Abstract

The idea of the sovereign state is at the core of the Western understanding of international politics. If we are serious about coming up with non-Western theories of international politics, it is the state that must be questioned. This article suggests some ways in which this can be done. Only once we have unthought the state can we reconstruct international politics as a more equitable, and peaceful, world order.

Keywords

• Non-Western IR theory,the state,empires,pan-Africanism,Ottoman Empire

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