Time and International Relations Theory

Abstract

In this thesis, I promote the relevance of time to International Relations theory, arguing that the meaning and character of time often taken as given or natural is actually the result of material, historical, and sociopolitical processes, and that ignoring these processes effectively prolongs and empowers them. I develop these themes in the following ways. First, utilizing a temporal lens from social theory, I briefly typologize the theoretical canon. Second, I employ a genealogical history to uncover the coeval rises of Western standard time and territorial state sovereignty. Third, I argue that the dominance of abstract, Western temporality continues virtually unchallenged, implicating IR scholarship in the reproduction of that hegemony. Finally, I address theoretical developments that have the potential to contribute to a greater understanding of time's role in international relations by showing how time is productive of the social subject.