Book contents
- The Historicity of International Politics
- The Historicity of International Politics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Imperial Past and Present in International Politics and IR
- 2 The Colonial Origins – and Legacies – of International Organizations
- 3 Collective Hegemony after Decolonization
- 4 The Historicity of State Formation
- 5 Privateering, Colonialism and Empires
- 6 Where Did the Mongol Empire Go?
- 7 Where Would We Be without the Fog Lifting in Austerlitz?
- Part II Historical Sociology and the Imperial Fundaments of International Politics
- Part III Global History and the Imperial Fundaments of International Politics
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
4 - The Historicity of State Formation
Welfare Services in Uganda and Cameroon
from Part I - The Imperial Past and Present in International Politics and IR
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 June 2023
- The Historicity of International Politics
- The Historicity of International Politics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Imperial Past and Present in International Politics and IR
- 2 The Colonial Origins – and Legacies – of International Organizations
- 3 Collective Hegemony after Decolonization
- 4 The Historicity of State Formation
- 5 Privateering, Colonialism and Empires
- 6 Where Did the Mongol Empire Go?
- 7 Where Would We Be without the Fog Lifting in Austerlitz?
- Part II Historical Sociology and the Imperial Fundaments of International Politics
- Part III Global History and the Imperial Fundaments of International Politics
- Conclusion
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter argues against mainstream IR, which tend to only identify deficit of governance in ‘areas of limited statehood’. It presents the results of a structured comparison between Uganda and Cameroon. Taking the historicity of state seriously, the authors argue, brings to the fore that what is usually considered to be recent crisis, has it long roots in the past of how states have been formed. The four features that are highlighted are as follows. First, both Uganda and Cameroon are highly internationalized structures of domination. Second, both polities present a bifurcation inherited form the colonial regime between ‘citizens’ from ‘subjects’ (Mamdani). Third, both states make intensive use of the strategy of ‘discharge – i.e.the delegation of functions to private or semi-private agencies without giving up final control of them’ (Hibou). Fourth ‘power without knowledge’ (Breckenridge) is a central feature of state politics. The chapter ultimately argues against conventional narratives on modern statehood that ignore such important historical imprints.
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- Information
- The Historicity of International PoliticsImperialism and the Presence of the Past, pp. 84 - 103Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023