Call for Papers

The International Relations Anatomy (IRA) is the flagship journal of the Philippine International Studies Association (PhISO)

In so many ways, the discipline of International Relations (IR) had been shaped based on Western or Global Northern (specifically, the USA, the UK, Germany and France) experiences, schools and traditions of thoughts. Knowledge systems of IR in non-Western societies are seen or devalued as peripheries, metaphysical, mystical or spiritual, merely alternatives, or normatively ‘the Other’. The goal of the International Relations Anatomy journal is to present knowledge productions and systems of IR in the Global South that equally and critically engaging with the West or Global North’s sacred standard of rationality and scientific rigor.

Under the context of and guided by the principles of the  ‘Global South Caucus of International Studies’ (GSCIS) of the International Studies Association and the ‘Delhi Group: A Forum for International Relations in the Global South’, IRA aims to serve as critical academic platform of thinking and doing IR differently and beyond the Global North’s IR enterprise on theories, methods, and praxes. It advances cosmologies of diverse ways of contemplating the ‘international’ as form of study, discipline, and reality. It focuses on theoretical, methodological, empirical, practical/policy-oriented research works and studies of IR within the context and perspective of the Global South. The IR Anatomy journal accepts proposals that have various methodological social science orientations but limited to specific geographies: Asia (particularly ASEAN, East Asia, and the Middle East), Africa, and Latin America.

PhISO is very keen in developing a ‘Philippine IR’ in the literature. It is PhISO’s humble contribution to the emerging non-Western IR movements such as those of the Chinese IR, Islamic IR (works of the Co-IRIS team), the surgical analyses of ‘Worlding beyond the West’ book series, religion and IR, and post-colonial IR. It aspires to trace the historical development of Philippines’ involvement in the international society, particularly that it is a founding member of ASEAN, member of Non-Aligned Movement and G77, and one of the first Asian countries to nationalized and democratized its governmental institutions. IRA hopes to present locally produced IR knowledge not only in the Philippines but also in countries within the Global South. By creating and introducing a ‘Philippine IR’, it hopes to paved the way for recognizing more subaltern voices, pluralist histories, and multi-cultural experiences in the mainstreams of International Relations.

The IR Anatomy journal in essence seeks to provide insights and scholarships that are locally produced and developed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America regardless of time or period. It opens up mutual windows of old and new boundaries, spaces and civilizational discourses of ‘holistic IR’ including shared stories, exchanges of cultural nodes, and experiences between and among the worlds of the Chinese, Indian, Asian, European, North & South American, and the Islamicate. For example, introducing IR scholars or theoreticians who lived during the golden age of Islam, or conceptual IR practices that flourished in ancient China and India which are still present today. It may also include studies on statecraft, for example, by Nizam al-Mulk’s Siyasatnama (11th century) and his influence on Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince (15th century). Or comparison of the concept on sovereignty between Christianity and Islam, and how it differs to the modern understating of territorial sovereignty.

IRA is also interested in proposals that seeks to:
1. present IR pedagogy, its curriculum in the Global South, and how it compares, differs and relates to Global North’s IR overall pedagogy;
2. explore publishing experiences and/or difficulties of Global South IR scholars in leading English-IR publishing houses and journals;
3. analyze contributions of Post-Colonial IR scholarship in the contemporary period; and
4. discuss theorizing efforts of Global South IR scholars in contemplating about the ‘international’.

To Authors:

Specific instructions for authors are available here. After reading the instructions, you may proceed submitting your initial proposal by completing the ‘Author Proposal Form (APF)’ here.

If you have any inquiries, please email us at publications@phiso.org.