Vol. IV / No. 6 | September 2023

Authors:
Devina Ayona (currently working under the KaLi Project)

Summary

Recent political events have brought the word “woke” to the center of public and media attention. What began as a domestic issue in the U.S. has begun to spread to other parts of the globe and become a heated topic of discussion. This commentary suggests that it is time for IR scholars, especially from non-Western countries, to contribute to the discussion. Nevertheless, IR scholars will need to take note that “wokeism” scholarship is characterized by (1) a lack of academic literature using “wokeism” as their keyword; (2) political quarrels over the meaning of “wokeism”; and (3) lack of non-Western perspective. IR scholars may begin approaching the subject using structural, postcolonial, and transnational frameworks of analysis.

Keywords: woke, wokeism, wokeness, postcolonialism, non-Western IR

Vol. IV / No. 5 | September 2023

Authors:
Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad  (Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia)
Equanjana Fatah (Master Student, Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia)

Summary

The Anthropocene era brings evolving challenges to international relations. The impact of human activities on the earth system makes it impossible for us not to put IR within the Anthropocene context. IR should include the Anthropocene context in theoretical and practical debates to stay relevant to current conditions. When IR recognizes the Anthropocene in a limited context, the debates will round at resulting partial and incomplete responses in facing this era’s complex and urgent challenges.

Keywords: Anthropocene, human activities, ecological challenges, international politics, environmental crises