The History Of Racism In The Field Of International Relations

foreign affairs collage
Julian Hayda / WBEZ
foreign affairs collage
Julian Hayda / WBEZ

The History Of Racism In The Field Of International Relations

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(Audio available after show airs.)

As the world grapples with issues like globalization, free trade and terrorism, the field of international relations is at the forefront of the news. 

We step back and take a look at the history of the field with University of Pennsylvania political science professor, Robert Vitalis.

In his new book, White World Order, Black Power Politics: The Birth of American International Relations, Vitalis analyzes the century-long history of international relations theory. Many may not know that the famed journal, Foreign Affairs, evolved from a publication named the Journal of Race Development.

Vitalis joins us to explain the motivations of the mostly white men who created the field, and the scholarly pushback they received from highly respected African-American scholars. He explains how the now controversial studies of racial anthropology and social Darwinism shaped “the way that diplomatic history and international relations were taught and understood in the American academy.”