Asia: India “Teaching International Relations Theory in Different Places and Spaces”

This chapter looks at the possibilities and limits of teaching International Relations theory in the Global South, particularly India. Dominant IR theories are often generated in the Global North and then “applied” to other parts of the world. What gets lost in this process? I argue in the chapter there is a disconnect between these theories and people’s lived experiences in other parts of the world. For instance, realism and liberalism resonate only in a limited way amongst students in India. Even if Realism is appealing students want an ‘Indian point of view’ regarding issues of national interest and security. Most books and articles in dominant International Relations theories are produced in North America whereas concepts from the Global South are marginal to dominant IRT. In the chapter I talk about strategies, methodologies and my reflections of teaching IR theory in an Indian public university setting and the various challenges discussed above. I highlight the processes of negotiation that often take place through classroom discussions and readings as students mediate between theories from elsewhere and their own understandings/experiences.