| ID | 098852 |
| Title Proper | Ghosts in the machine |
| Other Title Information | Is IR eternally haunted by the spectre of old concepts? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Heng, Yee-Kuang |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Where ideas such as the 'End of History', 'Globalisation' or a 'New World Order' once animated the academy, recent debates within International Relations (IR) seem indicative of an emerging sea-change in intellectual trends. Scholars are now mooting instead a 'Return of History', the 'Return of Authoritarian Great Powers', the 'Return of Realism', the 'Resurgence of geopolitical competition' and even a 'Replay of the Great Game'. The resurrection of these so-called 'traditional' concepts raises an intriguing question: is the study of IR continually plagued by concepts that refuse to go away? This article begins by reviewing the intellectual historiography of IR, demonstrating that heralds of a 'new dawn' have repeatedly encountered the stubborn lingering presence of 'old' assumptions. The article then proceeds to analyse how the philosophical metaphor of a 'ghost in the machine' can help elucidate these peculiar intellectual quirks of IR, before concluding by contemplating the possibility of eventual 'exorcism'. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Politics Vol. 47, No. 5; Sep 2010: p.535-556 |
| Journal Source | International Politics Vol. 47, No. 5; Sep 2010: p.535-556 |
| Key Words | International Relations ; Historiography ; Intellectual Trends ; Endism ; Declinism |