The Postcolonial Paradox of Eastern Agency

John M HOBSON

Article Details

The Postcolonial Paradox of Eastern Agency

Authors:

John M HOBSON

Publisher:

T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal:

PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2014 Vol.19 Issue 1, pp.121-134

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

3/2014

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2000585669

Frequency:

Bi-Annual

eISSN:

2651-3315

pISSN:

1300-8641

Abstract:

 

Much of the postcolonial/non-Eurocentric literature that has emerged in recent years has concluded that the key antidote to Eurocentrism lies with the need to factor Eastern agency into our theoretical and empirical understandings/explanations of world politics/economics. While I certainly endorse this proposition, we need, however, to be aware that Eastern agency is already a factor in much, though not all, of Eurocentric international theory. Hence we confront the “postcolonial paradox of Eastern agency”- that while the perceived postcolonial/non-Eurocentric antidote to Eurocentrism/Orientalism is to “bring Eastern agency in” nevertheless it turns out that it was there in some form or another within international theory all along. This article reveals the different forms that Eastern agency takes within different variants of Eurocentric international theory while simultaneously opening up this concept to its multiple variants, thereby taking us beyond Edward Said’s monolithic conception of Orientalism that he bequeathed to postcolonialism.

Article Details

The Postcolonial Paradox of Eastern Agency

Authors: John M HOBSON

Publisher: T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal: PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2014 Vol.19 Issue 1, pp.121-134

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 3/2014

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2000585669

Frequency: Bi-Annual

eISSN: 2651-3315

pISSN: 1300-8641

Issues

Authors:

John M HOBSON

Publisher:

T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal:

PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2014 Vol.19 Issue 1, pp.121-134

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

3/2014

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2000585669

Frequency:

Bi-Annual

eISSN:

2651-3315

pISSN:

1300-8641