Vol. IV / No. 4 | June 2023
Authors:
Adlini Ilma Ghaisany Sjah (Independent International Relations Scholar and Graduate of Master of International Relations, The University of Melbourne)
Summary
In March 2022, the International Studies Association, one of the oldest bodies for international relations research in the world, established a Global IR Section (GIRS). The project aims to advance International Relations theories outside of the West, thereby transforming the US-dominated discipline into a global one. To this end, some countries have embarked on projects of advancing local thought following the model of the English School, such as the Chinese School and Japanese International Relations. While there is generally collective agreement about the need for a less Western-dominated IR, are national schools a fruitful endeavor? Is there opportunity for an Indonesian school of International Relations? The author argues that building an Indonesian School of International Relations could motivate commitment to local, theory-based research and is an important step for Global IR.
Keywords: global IR, indigenous theory-building, Indonesian school