Theory, change and the search for epistemological courage in shaping a new world order
| Author | Larry A. Swatuk |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020231156560 |
| Published date | 01 September 2022 |
| Date | 01 September 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essay |
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2022, Vol. 77(3) 396–413
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020231156560
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Theory, change and the search
for epistemological courage in
shaping a new world order
Larry A. Swatuk
School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, University of Waterloo, Canada; Institute for Water
Studies, University of Western Cape, South Africa
Abstract
No matter how narrowly you focus your spatial or temporal lenses, you are bound to
catch sight of multiple significant challenges to human community. Many of these
challenges are shared, such as Covid-19, though their impacts on individuals and groups
are felt unevenly. Some challenges are immediate and existential, such as the wars in
Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen. Others, such as race, gender, caste, and class-based in-
equalities, are deeply embedded in social structures, providing privilege and perse-
cution, and reward and oppression in unequal measures. And climate change, though
slower moving, holds out the prospect of leading to total social collapse. How to make
sense of these dramatic changes? This essay explores the adequacy of theories of IR and
G/IPE in explaining the emergent world (dis)order. It argues that, whether orthodox or
critical, theory must find a way to centre humanity within the biosphere if theory is to
adequately inform practice.
Keywords
Global political economy, international relations, IR theory, international political
economy, theory, world order
Corresponding author:
Larry A Swatuk, University of Waterloo, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development,
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
Email: lswatuk@uwaterloo.ca
Blah, blah, blah.
·Greta Thunberg
One of the key requirements for clear theoretical thinking is that we become aware of the
taken-for-granted common-sense assumptions that generally frame our vision of the
world. The sense that we already know the essentials is one of the greatest obstacles to
critical thinking.
·Sears and Cairns (2010: 14–15)
It is no longer clear that our theoretical frameworks, key concepts and empirical pre-
occupations remain up to the task of making sense of, let alone fashioning solutions to, the
global challenges of the times in which we live.
·Best et al. (2021: 218)
Transform or collapse is now the starkchoice for the future of the global political economy.
·Paterson (2021: 395)
No matter how narrowly you focus your spatial or temporal lenses, you are bound to
catch sight of multiple significant challenges to human community. Many of these
challenges are shared, such as Covid-19 and the rising prices of energy, housing, and
food, though their impacts on individuals and groups are felt unevenly. Some chal-
lenges are immediate and existential, such as the wars in Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen.
Others, such as race, gender, caste, and class-based inequalities, are deeply embedded
in social structures, providing privilege and persecution, and reward and oppression in
many ways. Climate change, though slower moving, holds out the prospect of entirely
reorganizing the biosphere, leading in some cases to ecosystem and civilizational
collapse. In a globalized world, these challenges are interlinked through information
systems, supply chains, flows of finance, people, and things. Responses to, and re-
percussions of, these myriad challenges result in desirable and undesirable, intended
and unintended consequences at different physical and temporal scales, offering social/
individual reward and punishment in unequal measure.
Innumerable think tanks, private companies, governments, inter-governmental
and non-governmental entities, para-statal enterprises and university-based scholars
(public and private) have weighed in on different aspects of these challenges, offering
advice to citizens, shareholders, and themselves regarding what is to be done in the
Swatuk 397
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