Africa and the idea of international society
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Date
2016
Authors
Spies, Yolanda K.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Humanities, University of the Free State
Abstract
The shared interests and values of sovereign states prompt them to commit to common rules, conventions
and institutions within an inter-subjective “society”, where diplomacy is used as main currency. The
idea of international society is, however, not unequivocal. Diversification of the identities and interests
of an enlarging pool of states – after the Second World War, mostly contributed by Africa – undermines
consensus on the rules of engagement. This is aggravated by the history of the aggressive expansion
of international society from its traditional European base. African states have generally embraced
the traditional norms (such as sovereignty and non-intervention) of international society, but the
continent’s particular history has informed its inclination to use collective diplomacy (multilateralism)
to challenge the structure of a deeply asymmetrical international system. In the process, the parochial
part of international society that Africa represents has managed to export certain norms to the “older”
members of the society. Of special note is the continent’s insistence on horizontal, rather than vertical
cooperative relationships, and the fact that development per se has become a fixture on the global
diplomatic agenda. The architecture of contemporary universal international society is much more
complex and nuanced than ever before, and the role of a sub-society such as Africa – not just in relating
to international society, but also in shaping it – is the focus of this article.
Description
Keywords
Africa, Diplomacy, International society, Norms, Values, Development, Post-colonial
Citation
Spies, Y. K. (2016). Africa an the idea of international society. Journal for Contemporary History, 41(1), 38-56.