Approaches to the Study of India’s Foreign Policy: An Overview

 Over the past two decades, there has been an increasing curiosity in examining India’s foreign policy, which has resulted in a substantial collection of scholarly works. This can be attributed to India’s emergence as a major power in the new millennium. Indian foreign policy has been scrutinized by scholars, despite the gap between its rhetoric and actual power. Pinpointing specific approaches to India’s foreign policy is challenging because all categorizations are subject to debate. The absence of self-reflection in writings on Indian foreign policy makes the task more challenging. Therefore, my suggested categorization is far from comprehensive. I broadly categorize Indian foreign policy writings into three genres. I describe a body of literature called the structure-agency framework that examines how structural factors shape India’s foreign policy decisions. The majority of these works are from realist authors who have explored India’s ascent and military strength, though they diverge in their perspectives, definitions, and evaluations. Additionally, there is a substantial body of research on how India’s identity narratives shape its foreign policy decisions. The literature on postcolonial identity and India’s foreign policy extensively discusses the concept of autonomy, going beyond the narrow interpretation of strategic autonomy. Third, a significant amount of literature is dedicated to addressing domestic matters, particularly those pertaining to the immediate vicinity. It’s important to highlight that certain scholars have explored India’s multilateralism and foreign policy framework. I have incorporated them into the framework of structure-agency. The conceptual categories I have selected to classify the existing literature on India’s foreign policy include power, autonomy, domesticity, and multilateralism. The paper will examine these four factors in the three distinct sections and attempt to identify commonalities and deviations where possible.