Understanding International Relations: Decolonizing the Discipline

This volume critically analyses the theories and concepts of international relations (IR), which will be instrumental in understanding IR from a non-western perspective. Owing to its emphasis on the need to decolonise the discipline of IR, alternate perspectives from the global South have been explored and discussed in detail.

The book provides new insights to make the discipline more inclusive, universal and contributory to world peace and security. It lucidly enumerates on the concepts of state, sovereignty, power, conflict, security, diplomacy, human rights, development, market, inequalities, and migration from a non-Eurocentric lens, bringing distinct perspectives and experiences to the fore. Expanding on the Indian foreign policy of Vasudev Kutumbakam, it highlights India’s policy of multi-alliances and multilateralism and, also refers to India’s contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and its drive to champion the cause of marginalised nations by reforming international institutions and pressing for development with sustainability. It is testament to India’s commitment to global security through cooperation and collective action.

This book will be useful to the Departments of Political Science, Global Studies, International Studies, and South Asian studies. It will be an indispensable resource for researchers, social scientists and general readers interested to understand the theories and key concepts of IR, especially from an Indian perspective.

Nirmal Jindal is a former Officiating Principal and Professor of Political Science at Satyawati College, University of Delhi, India. She has been a recipient of Fulbright Scholarship at CSIA, Harvard University, 1984-1985; Advanced International Programme, Uppsala University, Sweden, 1991; ’Best College Lecturer Award’, Directorate of Higher Education, Delhi Government, 2017. She has authored several books and articles on issues of international relations. She has participated in hundreds of national and international conferences and participated in panel discussion on foreign policy and security issues in Zee News, NDTV and other channels like ’Nation UpToDate’ several times.

Kamal Kumar is Assistant Professor of Global Studies at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi. He has received the Academic Excellence Award in graduation at the Hindu College and secured a University Position at Delhi University. He is a recipient of the All-India Postgraduate Scholarship (2011), UGC-JRF (2013), and also ICSSR International Travel Grant (2018) to attend the MPSA Annual Conference held in April 2018 in Chicago, US. He has attended U21 MASTERS INTENSIVE MODULE 2012 organized in collaboration by University of Birmingham, University of Delhi and University of Melbourne in 2012. He has published several research articles in popular journals and co-edited three books titled ’Global Politics’ (SAGE, 2018), ’International Relations’ (SAGE, 2020) and ’Understanding Globalisation’ (Routledge, 2024). His research interests include indigenous knowledge systems, environmental and climate justice, global politics, environmental politics in South Asia, and social movements.