Amy King speaks on History and International Relations at the ANU IR Department’s 75th anniversary
Source: https://bellschool.anu.edu.au/ir/75th-anniversary-anu-ir-dept
On the 18th and 19th of July 2024, Amy King joined a panel on History and International Relations as part of the ANU International Relations' Department's 75th Anniversary Symposium. The panel, titled “No History without the Future,” questioned what motivates inquiry into the past, what normative concerns have defined it, and explored the role of historical research in transforming the field of International Relations.
In her remarks, Amy King reflected on her journey in understanding the relationship between the past, present and future as a scholar of International Relations. Her postgraduate studies at Oxford first sparked an interest in excavating the past to examine the contemporary China-Japan relationship, and the flow of ideas between China and Japan from the late 19th century to the present day.
King discussed how this interest laid the foundations for her PhD and first book project, which explored the historical evolution of China-Japan relations during the Cold War – an unusual historical moment largely overlooked by historians and International Relations scholars alike. Analysing the historical evolution of China’s ideas about Japan allows us to understand not only how this formidable economic relationship developed, but also how China uses historical discourse in shaping East Asia’s future strategic order.
For the field of International Relations, King remarked that grappling with the contested and historically contingent narrative of the past is crucial as it underpins understandings of the present international order. Acknowledging the normative agenda in her own work to bring China back into the story of that order, King reiterated that the past attests to the possibilities of plural orders, and that looking to the past has the potential to offer International Relations scholars a more optimistic view of the future.
Finally, King emphasised the practical relevance of history in policy-making, mentioning her current collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This project, exploring the history of China’s distinct approach to infrastructure financing, sheds light on a new understanding of China’s approach to development, as well as its implications for Australia.
Congratulations to the International Relations Department on 75 years. Our thanks to the department for bringing together a fantastic group of scholars to discuss the future of the field.
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