GRFDT

Redrawing the Boundaries of International Relations:

Going beyond State and Power

 

Ravenshaw University, Cuttack is organising an International Conference on " Redrawing the Boundaries of International Relations: Going beyond State and Power " on February 20-22, 2014. The Conference is sponsored by ICSSR, New Delhi. The Conference is expected to provide a suitable platform to a large number of International Relations Scholars working both at national and international levels to debate and discuss the changing dynamics of International Relations both in theory and practice.

 

Concept Note

 

Contemporary global dynamics of interaction, exchange and rise of new actors and forces have raised a paradox for International Relations theory and practice. On the one hand, the 'new' critical, post-Realist International Relations appear stronger than ever before. An impressive literature has developed on these new themes and actors and has questioned the theoretical foundations of Neo-Realist approaches, which dominated in the previous quarter century. On the other hand, many new issues have emerged, which pose a challenge to the international community and the study of identity in international relations as opposed to a focus on national/state-centric interests. Cold war and Post Cold War politics was about how to manage the state in the best possible way in the international environment. The primary interest for the state was to safeguard its national interest. National interest was also defined in terms of power and military security. The basic objective of this seminar is to probe into the development of International Relations as a subject in recent times. The central question of this international seminar is; - Do we have to alter / extend our tools of analysis to understand the dynamics and challenges of contemporary International Politics? 

 

What moves International Politics today? Have concepts such as the State and Power both become redundant? And if so, then what can replace or supplement them? How has International Relations as an academic discipline been able to cope with the pressures and challenges of a new world order marked by prolific interdependence amongst nation states. Is the subject of International Relations adequately prepared to face the multiple challenges that have engulfed underdeveloped and developing nations, some of which are simultaneously 'rising powers'? 

 

International relations is a study of the relations between political communities. The conference would seek to explore the multiple dimensions of a relationship that political communities can have. This relationship is not limited to safeguarding the national interest, which as a term does not capture everything about a nation (its functions, purposes and motivations). This seminar therefore seeks to go beyond by discussing the fundamental issues that confront the international community. The focus on state and power limits our understanding of International Relations and the potential for a peaceful international order. The conference will identify these issues and deliberate on them, so that these important global issues gain more prominence in academic discourse. One of the challenges of this seminar will be to redefine the notion of security and how modern states inappropriately use the term to justify state sponsored violence and to 'securitize' issues. This will allow the participants to reflect upon the old "gun versus butter" dilemma. In the post cold war era, redefining the concept of 'security' has grown in salience. Traditional national security approaches have not been sensitive to conflicts that arise from cultural, ethnic and religious differences as has happened in different parts of the world. 

 

At a deeper level, national security and nationalism have become problematic to many marginalized sections. The biggest question that these groups are asking; Why should we obey the state? Naxlite violence in India, ethnic violence in Srilanka and Pakistan and other parts of the world suggest that the larger questions of rights and citizenship needs to be debated. The process of globalization and fragmentation of political communities are two major influences on political communities at present times. There is a growing demand for respecting national or ethnic differences, which exist in virtually all nation states. These demands are part of a global movement in which minority groups seek respect for their languages and cultures. What is common in all these demands is a rejection of western forms of political community. This has necessitated a reconsideration of traditional ideas of citizenship. There is an intense struggle within the political communities for recognizing the 'difference of cultures' and evolving a plural version of citizenship, which is sensitive to different group aspirations.