ABSTRACT
Studies of empire and imperialism within International Relations (IR) have been rejuvenated in recent years. This has pulled in multiple dimensions. Some, partly responding to the renaissance of American empire, have explored the political form of empire and its impact on systems of world order. Elsewhere, taking inspiration from intellectual history and the ‘historiographical turn’ within international political thought, imperialism and its intersection with internationalism have featured once more within the disciplinary purview. In addition, and linked to this, the imperial turn has prompted disciplinary self-reflection as IR has considered its own imperial roots. This chapter explores each of these developments in turn, including their payoffs for the IR discipline. The chapter argues that despite these developments, the treatment of empire within Historical IR still exhibits a degree of Eurocentrism, an overlooking of those subjected to imperial rule, and continued reliance upon secondary sources. Addressing these deficiencies offers a terrain as yet unexplored.
