The Case for a Pluriversal IR: An Inquiry into Andean Cosmovision and Akan Philosophy

Abstract

This dissertation explores the potential of two indigenous bodies of thought from the Global South to both enrich and challenge traditional International Relations (IR) theory. By examining the Akan philosophy and the Andean Cosmovision, this dissertation suggests that these worldviews offer a radical departure from the anthropocentrism which is foundational to IR. In contrast to IR’s human-centred ontological foundation, these systems of knowledge promote principles of relationality between all beings both living and non-living. This inquiry is scaffolded within the call for IR to adopt a pluriversal approach to knowledge given that traditional IR remains complicit as a site of epistemicide, linked to its colonial roots. Drawing on decolonial theory and indigenous epistemologies, this dissertation provides insights for how IR could better contend with the climate crisis in ways that promote relationality and reciprocity. By calling for a paradigm shift in the discipline and transcending anthropocentrism, this dissertation opens up alternative pathways and makes visible indigenous knowledge such that it can eventually be a site from which to theorize. The main contribution of this dissertation is not just its critique of the IR discipline but rather, how it goes beyond critiques to engage directly with indigenous bodies of knowledge from a pluriversal standpoint. In doing so, it hopes to contribute to the literature on thinking alternatively as a form of epistemic disobedience.