EPISODE · Feb 18, 2026 · 53 MIN
Decolonising Norms in International Relations — Charlotte Epstein
from The IR thinker
In this episode, Professor Charlotte Epstein reflects on how postcolonial perspectives reshape the study of norms in international relations, challenging conventional accounts of diffusion, compliance, and legitimacy. The conversation explores colonial inheritances embedded in contemporary normative orders, while examining positionality, experience, and the epistemological stakes of critical scholarship.Charlotte EpsteinCharlotte Epstein is Professor at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, where her work examines how language and political power have jointly constituted the modern international order.Publications:The power of words in international relations: Birth of an anti-whaling discourseWho speaks? Discourse, the subject and the study of identity in international politicsConstructivism or the eternal return of universals in International Relations. Why returning to language is vital to prolonging the owl’s flightThe postcolonial perspective: an introductionAgainst international relations norms: Postcolonial perspectivesBirth of the state: The place of the body in crafting modern politicsContent00:00 – Introduction01:42 – Colonialism and Postcolonialism: Conceptual Clarifications04:08 – Rationale for Employing Postcolonial Perspectives07:22 – Postcoloniality as Positionality Beyond Historical Periodisation12:29 – Studying Norm Diffusion and Compliance Beyond Coercion22:50 – Why Norms Reveal Colonial Inheritances More Sharply than Concepts27:53 – From Norms as Practices to Norms as Epistemological Categories32:25 – Situated Perspectives, Critical Authority, and the Risk of Relativism35:42 – The Role of Experience in Postcolonial Norm Research39:26 – Key Sources on the Concept of Experience43:02 – ‘Norming’ and ‘Re-Norming’ in a Foucauldian Perspective47:54 – The Ambivalences of Research Success50:39 – Principal Challenges in Postcolonial Approaches to NormsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
In this episode, Professor Charlotte Epstein reflects on how postcolonial perspectives reshape the study of norms in international relations, challenging conventional accounts of diffusion, compliance, and legitimacy. The conversation explores colonial inheritances embedded in contemporary normative orders, while examining positionality, experience, and the epistemological stakes of critical scholarship.Charlotte EpsteinCharlotte Epstein is Professor at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, where her work examines how language and political power have jointly constituted the modern international order.Publications:The power of words in international relations: Birth of an anti-whaling discourseWho speaks? Discourse, the subject and the study of identity in international politicsConstructivism or the eternal return of universals in International Relations. Why returning to language is vital to prolonging the owl’s flightThe postcolonial perspective: an introductionAgainst international relations norms: Postcolonial perspectivesBirth of the state: The place of the body in crafting modern politicsContent00:00 – Introduction01:42 – Colonialism and Postcolonialism: Conceptual Clarifications04:08 – Rationale for Employing Postcolonial Perspectives07:22 – Postcoloniality as Positionality Beyond Historical Periodisation12:29 – Studying Norm Diffusion and Compliance Beyond Coercion22:50 – Why Norms Reveal Colonial Inheritances More Sharply than Concepts27:53 – From Norms as Practices to Norms as Epistemological Categories32:25 – Situated Perspectives, Critical Authority, and the Risk of Relativism35:42 – The Role of Experience in Postcolonial Norm Research39:26 – Key Sources on the Concept of Experience43:02 – ‘Norming’ and ‘Re-Norming’ in a Foucauldian Perspective47:54 – The Ambivalences of Research Success50:39 – Principal Challenges in Postcolonial Approaches to NormsFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Decolonising Norms in International Relations — Charlotte Epstein
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