Global intellectual history in International Relations: Hierarchy, empire, and the case of late colonial Indian international thought

In this short summary video, author Martin Bayly discusses the key points from his Review of International Studies (RIS) article - Global intellectual history in International Relations: Hierarchy, empire, and the case of late colonial Indian international thought.

Drawing upon archival material and historical works, the article applies approaches offered by global intellectual history to the works of late colonial Indian international thinkers, exploring the mixed registers of equality and hierarchy, internationalism and imperialism present in their writings. Concentrating on three ‘sites’ connected by the common themes of diaspora and mobility: the plight of Indians overseas in East Africa; the concept of ‘greater India’; and the international political thought of Benoy Kumar Sarkar, the article complicates the internationalism/imperialism divide of the early twentieth century, showing how ostensibly opposed scholarly communities sometimes competed over similar forms of knowledge and ways of ordering the world.

Want to know more? You can read Martin's full article at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210522000419

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