International relations and the Commonwealth of Nations

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This year, 2024, marks the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Nations. While some scholars in International Business and International Relations see it as an embarrassing legacy of the British Empire that should be allowed to wither away, the modern Commonwealth of Nations has grown in membership from seven in 1949 to 56 member states today. This includes countries that were never part of the British Empire or had no constitutional links with the United Kingdom. In addition, more countries have expressed an interest in joining.

International Business researchers increasingly see the relevance of International Relations to International Business and vice versa. There are good reasons why. The modern Commonwealth has a combined population of 2.5 billion people, more than a third of the world’s population, and covers more than a quarter of the world’s land mass. Despite this, the Commonwealth has received little interest recently from International Relations and International Business scholars alike, with only a few notable exceptions, such as Shaw and Ashworth (2010) or McDougall (2018). Much has changed since then, with a Commonwealth Charter signed in 2013 and an ever-expanding membership.

This is a call to revive International Relations scholars’ interest in this unique international organization in both its intergovernmental and non-governmental guises and to engage International Business Researchers in the conversation from their own distinctive perspectives. The theme of the conference will therefore be “Emerging issues, old dilemmas: international relations perspectives on the Commonwealth of Nations at 75 years old”. We encourage submissions that interpret this theme broadly, including methodological, epistemic, theoretical, and thematic perspectives on it. Contributions that explore underrepresented topics and multidisciplinary perspectives are also encouraged.

Topics of Interest include (but are not limited to):

• Different IR/IPE theories’ perspectives on the Commonwealth.
• Innovative theoretical frameworks in Commonwealth studies.
• Interdisciplinary approaches to issues affecting the Commonwealth as a whole or its member states (including, but not limited to, climate change, democratisation, cultural exchange, education, human rights, development, civil society, international business and international trade.
• Comparative studies that bring the commonwealth as an organisation into dialogue with each other, or non-Commonwealth countries.
• Research applying innovative or historically grounded methodologies, ideologies, or epistemic principles.
• Investigations into the role of the commonwealth within global contexts.

Submission guidelines:

• Please send an abstract of no longer than 250 words that explains how your research focuses on the Commonwealth.
• Additionally, please include a brief biography (up to 150 words), considering your academic affiliation, research interests, and contact information.
• Please send your proposal to christopher.wylde@stmarys.ac.uk (subject line: IR perspectives on the Commonwealth) no later than June 1 2024. Notification of acceptance will be sent by July 1, 2024.

The organizers hope to select papers for inclusion in a book or special edition of a journal and look forward to receiving your research proposals.

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