Brian C. Schmidt

A realist view of the eurocentric conception of world politics

This article provides a critical review of John Hobson’s The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics. More specifically, it challenges Hobson’s interpretation of realism and it questions the extent to which he accuses earlier thinkers of being racists.

Internalism Versus Externalism in the Disciplinary History of International Relations

This chapter provides a comprehensive assessment of one of the core debates among those who are engaged in disciplinary history. The debate pits those who accentuate internal versus external factors in accounting for the development of an academic discipline. Those who accentuate internal factors look inside a discipline—at its discourse—to understand how and why a field has developed in a particular way. Those who accentuate external factors examine an array of contextual variables that impact the development of a field. The chapter seeks to overcome the divide that has pitted internalists against externalists.