Russia's Decolonial Critique of International Order

In this second seminar of the 2023/24 New Voices seminar series on Wednesday 13 November 2023, 12:30 to 14:00. We will examine Putin's critique of the international order through a lens of decolonial thought, drawing parallels with the works of Frantz Fanon, Walter D. Mignolo, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaker:

Matti Spåra - Russia's decolonial critique of international order and its implications for critical international relations.

Matti examines how Putin's critique of the international order aligns with de-colonial thought, drawing on Fanon, Mignolo, and Gandhi. He explores the historical roots and intellectual resources of Putin's decolonial critique, offering new insights for critical International Relations (IR). This perspective challenges the perceived discord between critical IR and Putin's foreign policy.

Matti Spåra, an ESRC-funded PhD researcher at King's College London, specializes in international relations theory, particularly examining reactionary critiques of the liberal international order. He also serves as a senior commissioning editor at E-International Relations and works as a graduate teaching assistant. With MA and BA degrees in international relations from the Department of War Studies, his professional background includes roles in political and economic affairs at the London Embassy of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as well as research assistant positions in security studies, foreign policy, and international relations theory.

Discussant: Rhiannon Emm

Rhiannon is a third year PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, and Review Articles Editor for Millennium: Journal of International Studies. Her work engages with ideas of home in global context, and their interaction with sovereignty, state, and nation. She works within post structural approaches to international relations, island studies, and international order, with a wider interest in the philosophy of the social sciences.

A light sandwich lunch, teas and coffees will be provided. The speaker will present for around 15 minutes, to be followed by a discussant, and it will then be opened up for wider reflection and discussion.