2020.12.18

The article titled ‶Differing about Difference: Relational IR from around the World" (International Studies Perspectives) was published by co-authors including Professor Shimizu Kosuke from Ryukoku University and the Global Affairs Research Center (GARC).

The GARC has been addressed current global issues from a more global and inter-disciplinary perspective. One of the particular features of the GARC is to apply Buddhist studies as a key element to enlarge our framework for the analysis of the formation of the global order. Especially, ‟subjectivity" and ‟relationality" are the central concepts of GARC researchers.

This article is based on the content reported at an international workshop held in Galapagos. At this workshop, researchers who studies the International Relation theory discussed about “subjectivity” and “relationality”. Also in this article, you can find a basic idea of the Buddhist concept of relationality or networks (‟Engi (縁起)"）applied to the analysis of the dynamism of the global relations. The global relations is dynamic, because the relations are not given, but performed, transformed, and differed at each moment. Of course, applying the Buddhist idea of this sort has been tried, especially, by the philosophers from Kyoto School, which contains the danger of abusing it to vanquish others. While Professor Shimizu is sufficiently aware of this danger, he tries to reformulate and reapply the Buddhist idea for the alternative theory of the International Relations.

Please refer to the links below for the full text: 〈https://academic.oup.com/isp/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/isp/ekaa008/5897224?redirectedFrom=fulltext〉