The Evolution of an Epistemological Community: Some Evidence from India.

The academic study of international relations in South Asia is, for the most part, derivative and stultified. Most university departments rely on outdated and archaic syllabi. It is derivative in that much of what is imparted is drawn from early Amercian international relations scholarship or obtained from the canons of British diplomatic history. Scholarship for the most part remains descriptive, hortatory and atheoretic. The reasons for this aritdity in the study of international relations across the region cries out for an explanation. The answers are complex and are rooted, in part, in the British colonial history of the subcontinent. Most university faculty were trained in the British diplomatic history tradition and were only partially exposed to key currents in American social science scholarship in the sub-field of international politics. At another level, until recently, few individualsof any intellectual calibre, entered the study of international relations as opportunities in the fields of teaching, research and practice were exceedingly limited. Consequently, most individuals simply replicated the work that their mentors imparted and frequently in less sophisticated ways. Finally, policy makers, again until very recently, rarely, if ever, sought the advice of academic specialists. Instead, following the British civil service traditions, preferred their own counsel and relied on diplomatic precdents and practices. All these features are currntly changing as the principal power in the region, India, is now becoming more prosperous. More talented individuals are entering the sub-field, American social science methods are now percolating into university syllabi and increasing numbres of academics have American university degrees. Policymakers are also now more attuned to rely on academics for policy-relevant advice. This paper will explore the changing epistemological bases of international relations scholarship in India and to some degree in the other states of South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]