Study Guide: World Politics - A Critical Introduction
(Goetze, 2026)
Syllabus Context: 2026/2027 Edition
This guide is updated for the 1st Edition, published by SAGE in January 2026 . The
textbook is organized into 15 chapters, moving from foundational critiques of
knowledge to thematic explorations of global issues . The core objective is to
"decolonise, feminise, and integrate a broader range of critical perspectives" into the
study of IR . Author Catherine Goetze's research on "families in world politics" and
"patrimonial reason" also provides a unique lens for this edition .
Part 1: Foundations of Critique (Chapters 1-3)
Chapter 1: How We Know What the World Is
1. What is the main goal of a "critical" introduction to International Relations,
according to Goetze?
ANSWER - ✓ The main goal is not just to describe the world but to examine how our
knowledge about the world is produced. It questions the power structures, hidden
assumptions, and historical contexts that shape what we accept as "truth" in global
politics, particularly challenging Eurocentric perspectives .
2. How does Goetze suggest we uncover hidden hierarchies in global politics?
ANSWER - ✓ By examining the narratives and perspectives that are typically
marginalized or silenced. This involves using feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches
to reveal how power operates to create and perpetuate global hierarchies of status and
influence .
3. What is the role of "narratives and perspectives" in this textbook?
, ANSWER - ✓ They are central to the analysis. The book draws on a diverse array of
narratives to show that there is no single, objective view of world politics. Instead, our
understanding is shaped by who is telling the story and from what position of power .
4. Why does a critical approach question the idea of "objectivity" in IR?
ANSWER - ✓ Because it argues that all knowledge is situated. Traditional IR theories
often present themselves as universal and objective, but a critical lens reveals they are
rooted in specific Western, male, and colonial experiences that are then projected as the
norm for the entire world .
5. According to the book's framework, what is the relationship between
knowledge and power?
ANSWER - ✓ They are fundamentally intertwined. Power structures (like states,
international institutions, or academic disciplines) produce and legitimize certain forms
of knowledge, while that knowledge, in turn, reinforces the power of those structures.
For example, colonial powers produced "knowledge" about colonized peoples to justify
their domination .
6. How does Goetze's concept of "patrimonial reason" help us "know" the state
differently?
ANSWER - ✓ It reframes the state not as a neutral, rational actor but as a concept
modeled on the hierarchical family. "Patrimonial reason" suggests states seek to
aggrandize their "estate" (territory, economy) and "family" (nation), linking international
politics to the politics of the home and revealing the gendered and racialized
foundations of "national interest" .
Chapter 2: International Relations: The Making of an Academic
Discipline
7. How does Goetze characterize the establishment of IR as an academic discipline?
ANSWER - ✓ As a process deeply embedded in Western, particularly Anglo-American,
intellectual traditions and political concerns. The discipline was "made" to serve specific
interests, often reflecting the priorities of powerful states rather than offering a universal
perspective on global affairs .
8. Why is it important to critically analyze the history of the IR discipline?
, ANSWER - ✓ To understand why certain questions are asked and others are ignored.
The history of IR reveals its Eurocentrism and its role in creating and shaping the very
hierarchies it purports to study, such as the distinction between the "civilized" West and
the "uncivilized" rest .
9. The book aims to "decolonise" IR. What does this mean in practice?
ANSWER - ✓ It means challenging the discipline's Eurocentric foundations by centering
the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of peoples from the Global South. It
involves understanding how colonialism shaped the modern international system and
continues to influence global power dynamics today .
10. What does it mean to "feminise" the curriculum of IR?
ANSWER - ✓ It means moving beyond simply "adding women" to the story. It involves
using feminist theories to analyze how gender, as a hierarchical structure of power,
shapes all aspects of world politics—from war and security to economics and
diplomacy—and to highlight the experiences and roles of women and LGBTQ+
individuals that have been systematically ignored .
11. How might a queer perspective change our understanding of international
relations?
ANSWER - ✓ A queer perspective challenges the binary and normalized categories (e.g.,
masculine/feminine, public/private, developed/developing) that underpin IR. It
questions the heteronormative assumptions in concepts like "the nation," "the state,"
and "security," revealing how they are built on particular, exclusive ideas about identity
and social order .
Chapter 3: Ideologies That Shape the World
12. How does the book approach the study of ideologies like liberalism or
conservatism?
ANSWER - ✓ It treats them not as static doctrines but as powerful forces that actively
"shape the world." They are frameworks of ideas that justify certain political orders,
economic systems, and social hierarchies, often by presenting themselves as common
sense or universal truths .
13. According to the critical perspective of the book, what role did liberalism play
in the 20th and 21st centuries?
(Goetze, 2026)
Syllabus Context: 2026/2027 Edition
This guide is updated for the 1st Edition, published by SAGE in January 2026 . The
textbook is organized into 15 chapters, moving from foundational critiques of
knowledge to thematic explorations of global issues . The core objective is to
"decolonise, feminise, and integrate a broader range of critical perspectives" into the
study of IR . Author Catherine Goetze's research on "families in world politics" and
"patrimonial reason" also provides a unique lens for this edition .
Part 1: Foundations of Critique (Chapters 1-3)
Chapter 1: How We Know What the World Is
1. What is the main goal of a "critical" introduction to International Relations,
according to Goetze?
ANSWER - ✓ The main goal is not just to describe the world but to examine how our
knowledge about the world is produced. It questions the power structures, hidden
assumptions, and historical contexts that shape what we accept as "truth" in global
politics, particularly challenging Eurocentric perspectives .
2. How does Goetze suggest we uncover hidden hierarchies in global politics?
ANSWER - ✓ By examining the narratives and perspectives that are typically
marginalized or silenced. This involves using feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches
to reveal how power operates to create and perpetuate global hierarchies of status and
influence .
3. What is the role of "narratives and perspectives" in this textbook?
, ANSWER - ✓ They are central to the analysis. The book draws on a diverse array of
narratives to show that there is no single, objective view of world politics. Instead, our
understanding is shaped by who is telling the story and from what position of power .
4. Why does a critical approach question the idea of "objectivity" in IR?
ANSWER - ✓ Because it argues that all knowledge is situated. Traditional IR theories
often present themselves as universal and objective, but a critical lens reveals they are
rooted in specific Western, male, and colonial experiences that are then projected as the
norm for the entire world .
5. According to the book's framework, what is the relationship between
knowledge and power?
ANSWER - ✓ They are fundamentally intertwined. Power structures (like states,
international institutions, or academic disciplines) produce and legitimize certain forms
of knowledge, while that knowledge, in turn, reinforces the power of those structures.
For example, colonial powers produced "knowledge" about colonized peoples to justify
their domination .
6. How does Goetze's concept of "patrimonial reason" help us "know" the state
differently?
ANSWER - ✓ It reframes the state not as a neutral, rational actor but as a concept
modeled on the hierarchical family. "Patrimonial reason" suggests states seek to
aggrandize their "estate" (territory, economy) and "family" (nation), linking international
politics to the politics of the home and revealing the gendered and racialized
foundations of "national interest" .
Chapter 2: International Relations: The Making of an Academic
Discipline
7. How does Goetze characterize the establishment of IR as an academic discipline?
ANSWER - ✓ As a process deeply embedded in Western, particularly Anglo-American,
intellectual traditions and political concerns. The discipline was "made" to serve specific
interests, often reflecting the priorities of powerful states rather than offering a universal
perspective on global affairs .
8. Why is it important to critically analyze the history of the IR discipline?
, ANSWER - ✓ To understand why certain questions are asked and others are ignored.
The history of IR reveals its Eurocentrism and its role in creating and shaping the very
hierarchies it purports to study, such as the distinction between the "civilized" West and
the "uncivilized" rest .
9. The book aims to "decolonise" IR. What does this mean in practice?
ANSWER - ✓ It means challenging the discipline's Eurocentric foundations by centering
the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of peoples from the Global South. It
involves understanding how colonialism shaped the modern international system and
continues to influence global power dynamics today .
10. What does it mean to "feminise" the curriculum of IR?
ANSWER - ✓ It means moving beyond simply "adding women" to the story. It involves
using feminist theories to analyze how gender, as a hierarchical structure of power,
shapes all aspects of world politics—from war and security to economics and
diplomacy—and to highlight the experiences and roles of women and LGBTQ+
individuals that have been systematically ignored .
11. How might a queer perspective change our understanding of international
relations?
ANSWER - ✓ A queer perspective challenges the binary and normalized categories (e.g.,
masculine/feminine, public/private, developed/developing) that underpin IR. It
questions the heteronormative assumptions in concepts like "the nation," "the state,"
and "security," revealing how they are built on particular, exclusive ideas about identity
and social order .
Chapter 3: Ideologies That Shape the World
12. How does the book approach the study of ideologies like liberalism or
conservatism?
ANSWER - ✓ It treats them not as static doctrines but as powerful forces that actively
"shape the world." They are frameworks of ideas that justify certain political orders,
economic systems, and social hierarchies, often by presenting themselves as common
sense or universal truths .
13. According to the critical perspective of the book, what role did liberalism play
in the 20th and 21st centuries?
