Abstract
A protracted conventional knowledge within mainstream International Relations (IR) has been that African agents (states, organizations, and diplomats) are consumers of international norms and practices designed in the affluent countries of the Global North. Papers in this special issue present a challenge to this view; they discuss the active role and the influence of African actors in international politics and renew a call for the development of IR theories, concepts, and methods that reflect Global Southern and African experiences, ideas, institutions, actors and processes.
Highlights
The contributors to this special issue are united in principle and build upon this debate while offering further evidence of the influence of African actors and ideas on international politics
We provide an overview of the theoretical and empirical reasons for the historical marginalisation of Africa in the study and practice of international politics
We present an overview of the various authors’ contributions in this issue and their unpacking of African agency in their respective articles
Summary
The contributors to this special issue are united in principle and build upon this debate while offering further evidence of the influence of African actors and ideas on international politics. Balogun’s article shows how the constitution of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), a subregional organisation, was driven by African agents and discusses the process of acquisition of the capacity to influence the international system.
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