Post-Colonial Theory and State Sovereignty

Flashcards covering the lecture on post-colonial theory, the critique of the Westphalian sovereignty system, and the concepts of colonial division of labour and debt.

Which liberal theorists are associated with the concept of 'complex interdependence'?

Joseph Nye and Keohane

What is the 'Westphalia story' mainstream in Western international relations theory?

The narrative that the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 ended mediaeval chaos and created an international system based on sovereignty, where each state has power within its own borders.

What are the three main post-colonial arguments against the Westphalian sovereignty story?

1) The creation of states outside Europe negates their sovereignty. 2) The fact that European states had colonies negates their own sovereignty. 3) The entire international system is colonial rather than sovereign.

Which corporation originally colonised the Indian subcontinent from the 17th century?

The East India Company

What major event occurred in 1947 that the lecturer uses to illustrate the negation of sovereignty?

The partition of India and Pakistan, which was orchestrated and mismanaged by the British colonial government.

According to the lecture, how many people were murdered and displaced during the 1947 partition?

It is estimated that up to 2 million people were murdered and more than 20 million people were displaced.

What is the disputed region between India and Pakistan mentioned in the lecture?

The Kashmir region

How does Gominda Bambra define states that exerted power over foreign territories?

As imperial states or colonial states rather than Westphalian states.

What is the 'colonial division of labour'?

A system where colonised economies were broken down and shifted to producing low-wage raw materials, while high-wage jobs (like design and marketing) remained in colonising countries.

How did British colonisers change the Indian clothing industry?

They destroyed India's high-quality textile and cloth exports and refocused the industry on producing raw cotton for shipment to England.

Which street in East London was built to ship cotton from Canary Wharf to storehouses?

Commercial Street

In 2019, how many countries were spending more on debt repayment than on health provisions?

64 countries

What conditions might the World Bank and IMF place on international loans to ex-colonies?

Restrictions on developing high-tech industries, allowing rich-country corporations to buy local natural resources, or requiring that infrastructure contracts be given to corporations from rich countries.

What does 'Eurocentric' mean in the context of IR theory?

Assuming that Europe is the best or only example of what happens in the world and that European lessons should be applied to all other countries.

What is the liberal critique of post-colonial theory?

That it overemphasises systemic inequality and ignores empirical evidence that global health, lifespans, and general conditions are improving.

What is the realist critique of post-colonial theory regarding inequality?

That inequalities between countries are inevitable and that focusing on the most powerful (imperial) states is appropriate for understanding the international system.