Withdrawal from Immanuel Kant and International Relations: The Global Unlimited

This book explores the connection between Immanuel Kant's philosophical project and the discipline of International Relations (IR), arguing that the flawed orientation of Kant's project is reproduced in IR. It suggests that constructive critique of IR is impossible through mere challenge to its Kantian traditions and proposes a fundamental withdrawal from their shared aims. The book investigates the global limits inherent to epistemological and ontological commitments of Kant's writings and IR, interrogating their racism, sexism, coloniality, white male privilege, and anthropocentricism. It also considers how queer and feminist examinations of how Kant and IR discipline a joint orientation through sex, gender, and sexuality indicate how withdrawal is possible. Finally, it contemplates withdrawal from both as leading to a global unlimited, making it an essential text for advanced undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as those studying Kant, neo- and post-Kantian scholarship, and IR theory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the intricate relationship between Immanuel Kant's philosophical project and the discipline of International Relations (IR). It argues that the flawed orientation that underpins Kant's philosophy is the same one that gives rise to the necessity and possibility of IR. By tracing the reproduction of core problems in Kant's thought in IR, the book demonstrates that a mere challenge to its Kantian traditions cannot lead to constructive critique. Instead, it advocates for a fundamental withdrawal from the shared aims of IR and Kantianism.

The study explores the global limits inherent to epistemological and ontological commitments in both Kant's writings and IR. It interrogates the racism, sexism, coloniality, white male privilege, and anthropocentism of both as sites from which withdrawal can be initiated. Through queer and feminist examinations of how Kant and IR discipline a joint orientation through sex, gender, and sexuality, the book shows how withdrawal is possible.

Furthermore, the book considers how Anishinaabe legal tradition opens freedom beyond the restricting horizons of Kant and IR, suggesting that withdrawal from both leads to a global unlimited. This interdisciplinary study is a valuable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as for those interested in the thinking and writings of Kant, neo- and post-Kantian scholarship, and IR theory.

Weight: 446g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032591834