“Bridging Rhetoric and Reality”
October 20th 2023
The Decolonizing International Relations Conference at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is an annual event that began in 2018. It holds the distinction of being the first conference of its kind within International Relations Graduate Schools. Our conference serves as a platform for addressing pressing issues and concerns within the field of International Relations, aiming to develop solutions for global challenges that arise from antiquated and harmful power structures. Each year, our dedicated organizing team carefully selects a theme highlighting current issues within International Relations. By doing so, we strive to foster a deeper understanding of these challenges and encourage the development of innovative solutions.
This year’s theme, “Bridging Rhetoric & Reality,” highlights the disparity between the promises made in critical international relations discourse and the outcomes we observe. It is disheartening to witness this widening gap and its detrimental effects, particularly on the most vulnerable in society. The profound impacts experienced by marginalized communities serve as evidence of the inadequacy of these systems. Hence, we believe it is crucial to address these shortcomings and work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive global order.
We seek to shed light on the specific institutions and structures that must undergo significant changes in their response to these pressing challenges. Furthermore, we must extend our support to those courageous individuals who are at the forefront of advocating for change, often at significant personal risk, while identifying and addressing the root causes of systemic problems within our existing structures is essential, as it enables us to call them out and work towards eliminating them. By doing so, we can lay the groundwork for a better and more equitable future.
We Hope To:
- Foster dialogue between activists, practitioners, and academics to transform theory into action;
- Interrogate the status quo of the liberal international world order and the field of International Relations;
- Amplify marginalized voices and center the Global South as a site of knowledge production, cultural output, and innovative thought;
- Highlight the residual impacts of colonialism apparent in various ongoing social movements for freedom and liberation;
- Examine the role of the university in decoloniality; and
- Provide tangible means for students and practitioners of International Relations to advance decoloniality beyond the university.
Aims & Objectives
Create a “Shopping Day” style experience for attendees, such that they have a degree of autonomy in choosing the panels and workshops they wish to attend, thus elevating their understanding of Decolonization in the realms most relevant to their interests, skills, and career trajectories.
Equip attendees with skills and frameworks that further the mission of Decolonizing International Relations, and their own perspectives within/of International Relations.
Leave attendees brimming with ideas and new ways of thinking that they will then utilize and disseminate in their lives, whether that is as a student, or as a professional in the world of International Relations and beyond.
Make Decolonization as a field and mission more accessible; that is, bringing the discourse down from the ivory tower and to the level of laypersons who will do the groundwork of Decolonization every day. Within the context of speakers, this means that panels and workshops will be curated such that they underscore the urgency and relevance of each topic to the everyday lives (and beyond!) of attendees. Speakers will thus be a mix of academics, practitioners, and activists.
Ground Decolonization in global perspectives, and avoid US-centricity, while centering the role that existing structures in International Relations have played in perpetuating the problem of systemic racism (especially anti-Blackness) and inequity.