CALL FOR PAPERS

Issue 40 / “Dialogue with Francisco Javier Peñas Esteban: interrogating the theory of international relations”

To be published in February 2019

Francisco Javier Peñas Esteban, one of the founding members of this journal, and one of the oldest and most active participants, passed away suddenly on the 19th February, 2018.

University teacher Peñas was the one who introduced many of us to the theory of international relations, the one who made us read the classics (realism, liberalism and marxism) but, above all, the one who encouraged us to “explore new avenues” which were opening up back in the middle of the 1990s, thanks to a reflectivist and sociological shift. Because of his suggestions, typical of a tireless and avid reader, and someone passionate about the Socratic method, we delved into these new openings and discovered intriguing contributions that schools like social constructivism, postcolonialism, feminism, poststructuralism, critical security studies etc. have brought to the discipline. Professor Peñas had, similarly, another exceptional quality: that of being a true “teacher,” someone who taught us to think, and to question our own beliefs, assumptions, and prior knowledge. It is for these reasons that we would like to dedicate edition 40 of the journal to pay a deserved homage through an engagement with his work, his publications and his teachings. An engagement that, as he would have wanted, is critical and inspired, with the aim of continuing to drive through this journal a critical approach to the discipline of international relations and an understanding of the complex international world that we live in.

The academic, teaching, and human trajectory of professor Peñas is very extensive, with only some of his achievements to be mentioned here: the setup of the African Studies Group (GEA) in 1995 , one decade after the International Relations Study Group (GERI) and this journal. Meanwhile, in the year 2000, he helped establish the Doctorate (now Official Master) in International Relations and African Studies, through which many of us have passed. Within his oeuvre can be highlighted the monographs: “El arco de la crisis. Orden mundial, conflictos regionales y el Golfo Pérsico (The arc of crisis. World order, regional conflicts and the Persian Gulf)” (1991), “Occidentalización, fin de la Guerra Fría y relaciones internacionales (Westernisation, the end of the Cold War and international relations),” (1997) and “Hermanos y Enemigos. Liberalismo y Relaciones Internacionales (Brothers and enemies. Liberalism and international relations)” (2003). He was the editor of the collective book of the GEA “África en el Sistema Internacional. Cinco Siglos de Frontera (Africa in the International System. Five centuries of border)” (2000) and author of around 12 book chapters, as well as diverse articles in academic journals: Estudios Políticos, Isegoria, Meridiano CERI, Afers Internacionals, Nova África, Relaciones Internacionales, etc. Likewise, for some years, he directed the collection of books on international topics in the Catarata Books editorial, in which we translated to Spanish work of reference like those from H. Bull, E. Carr, F. Halliday, M. Duffield, etc.

This edition of the journal seeks, therefore, contributions that engage with the work of professor Peñas in such diverse areas like african studies or the history of international relations. Whereas in the first he focussed on the insertion of Africa into the international system, in the second he was a pioneer in the reflection on the westernisation of the international world or the role of the “standard of civilisation” in contemporary international politics of the post-Cold War period. Likewise, proposals will be welcome that analyse some of the central themes of his research agenda within the theory of international relations, from his theoretical reflections on the classics (Carr, Morgenthau, Carl Schmitt, etc.) to his incursions into normative theory and ethical reflections on international politics (Walzer, Beitz, Rawls, Gray, Held, Zolo, etc.). Finally, contributions are sought pertaining to the study of the role that social imaginaries, ideas, historical narratives, the civilising process and other ideational forces play in international relations, etc.

 

Coordinators 

The editorial committee of the journal

 

DUE DATE:

Articles: 

ARTICLES must be sent and abide by our journal’s Style Guide (in Spanish, Manual de Estilo) for submission to a double blind peer-review no later than October 15th 2018.

The articles must be uploaded on the Relaciones Internacionales website https://revistas.uam.es/relacionesinternacionales/user/register, after registering as an author. 

 

LANGUAGES: 

Articles in Spanish, English and Portuguese will be accepted, but the articles will be translated into Spanish for publication. Whenever possible, the authors themselves will translate the articles into Spanish.