On Vulnerability in the South: Sovereignty in the Post-Colonial Space

Öz

This article engages critically with the question of sovereignty, with a focus on the post-colonial state.
Building on Stephen Krasner’s arguments, it will point to the risks of employing European-centered/
inspired concepts for understanding processes in former colonies. In doing so, the paper will reveal the
complexity pervading the discourse and history of sovereignty, beyond the purely legalistic definitions,
questioning whether this institution was only a new democratic appearance for a system that remained
inherently coercive. In relation to this, some epistemological and methodological issues will be explored
concerning the discipline of International Relations as such.

Key words: sovereignty, post-colonial, empire, decolonization, coercion

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