History of International Relations: A Non-European Perspective

Description

Existing textbooks on international relations treat history in a cursory fashion and perpetuate a Euro-centric perspective. This textbook pioneers a new approach by historicizing the material traditionally taught in International Relations courses, and by explicitly focusing on non-European cases, debates and issues. The volume is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the international systems that traditionally existed in Europe, East Asia, pre-Columbian Central and South America, Africa and Polynesia. The second part discusses the ways in which these international systems were brought into contact with each other through the agency of Mongols in Central Asia, Arabs in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, Indic and Sinic societies in South East Asia, and the Europeans through their travels and colonial expansion. The concluding section concerns contemporary issues: the processes of decolonization, neo-colonialism and globalization – and their consequences on contemporary society. History of International Relations provides a unique textbook for undergraduate and graduate students of international relations, and anybody interested in international relations theory, history, and contemporary politics. Contents......Page 6 The Author......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 9 This book......Page 10 1. Introduction......Page 12 Comparative international systems......Page 13 Institutions, rules, and norms......Page 14 Stateless societies......Page 16 Walls and bridges......Page 17 Further reading......Page 21 Think about......Page 22 2. China and East Asia......Page 24 The Warring States period......Page 25 The development of the Chinese state......Page 30 The overland system......Page 41 The tribute system......Page 44 A Japanese international system?......Page 47 Further reading......Page 51 Timeline......Page 52 Short dictionary......Page 53 Think about......Page 54 3. India and Indianization......Page 56 Vedic India......Page 57 Classical India......Page 63 Indianization......Page 69 The Mughal Empire......Page 75 India as an international system......Page 78 Timeline......Page 80 Short dictionary......Page 81 Think about......Page 82 4. The Muslim Caliphates......Page 84 The Arab expansion......Page 85 The Umayyads and the Abbasids......Page 89 The Arabs in Spain......Page 92 An international system of caliphates......Page 97 The Ottoman Empire......Page 102 Further reading......Page 107 Timeline......Page 108 Short dictionary......Page 109 Think about......Page 110 5. The Mongol Khanates......Page 112 From Temüjin to Genghis Khan......Page 113 A nomadic state......Page 114 How to conquer the world......Page 117 Dividing it all up......Page 123 An international system of khanates......Page 127 Further reading......Page 133 Timeline......Page 134 Short dictionary......Page 135 Think about......Page 136 6. Africa......Page 138 The Nile River Valley......Page 140 North Africa......Page 142 The kingdoms of West Africa......Page 144 East Africa and the Indian Ocean......Page 150 An African international system?......Page 155 Further reading......Page 157 Timeline......Page 158 Short dictionary......Page 159 Think about......Page 160 7. The Americas......Page 162 The Maya......Page 163 The Aztecs......Page 171 The Incas......Page 174 North America......Page 181 Further reading......Page 185 Timeline......Page 186 Short dictionary......Page 187 Think about......Page 188 8. European Expansion......Page 190 A sea route to India......Page 191 Europeans in the “New World”......Page 193 A commercial world economy......Page 197 An industrial world economy......Page 200 The apotheosis of colonialism......Page 205 Decolonization......Page 208 Further reading......Page 211 Timeline......Page 212 Short dictionary......Page 213 Think about......Page 214 Afterthoughts: Walls and Bridges......Page 216