EPIIC 2023 Overview

The influence of race on the theory and practice of international relations is an issue of vital importance. Race is not solely a domestic issue. Races do not make civilizations; civilizations created race. And race reflects one’s status in a hierarchy of power. Race was the reason for the inclusion of the first human rights provisions in the United Nations Charter and more resolutions deal with race than any other subject. Racialized security practices in the U.S. affect both domestic and foreign policy and impact global politics. Historical evidence indicates that systemic racial biases have influenced America’s military interventions abroad, and these foreign interventions have contributed to the militarization of police practices in the United States. The questions to be explored in the course include the following: What is the meaning of race as a conceptual and classificatory category? How useful is race as an analytical tool to understand world politics? What are the definitive and ambiguous roles played by race in international relations? How does race shape international threat perceptions? How does race intersect with global challenges such as climate change, migration, human rights, terrorism, poverty and inequality, humanitarian intervention, and international criminal justice?