[Pacific Focus_SSCI] A Journey Towards a Non-Western International Relations Theory: Non-Western Conceptualization of the English School

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pafo.12254

The purpose of this study is to examine non-Western international relations theory (IRT) and explore, at the theoretical level, the potential for episte- mological autonomy from the confines of Western-centered epistemology prevalent in existing IRT. As a consequence, the non-Western world, sub- jected to colonialist expansion and modernization and often regarded as merely the leaves, has been relegated to a passive role within the interna- tional system, becoming a disengaged object of little interest. However, what has existed cannot be entirely erased. While it is undeniable that international politics was predominantly developed based on a Western- centric epistemology, other ancient civilizations had diverse international systems and orders that molded their identities as regional international societies. Consequently, the study provides a crucial backdrop for theoreti- cal endeavors aimed at integrating the voices and experiences of the Global South into IRT, which has traditionally been dominated by Western perspectives. This study seeks to explore the potential for transcending Western intellectual hegemony by critiquing the limitations of a singular worldview and expanding and transforming the English School Theory (EST). It seeks to investigate the possibility of moving beyond Western- centricity in international relations theory by conducting a historical com- parison of civilizations across countries and the associated disciplines within civilizations as a field.