Patricia Owens: A History of International Thought without Men

In the first episode of our summer series, Kelly talks with Oxford University Professor Patricia Owens about her new book "Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men." Kelly and Patricia discuss how women and minority voices were erased from the early cannon of interntional relations, what that means for the practice of IR, and how the field is fairing amid profound shifts in global order.

Link to "Erased": https://www.amazon.com/Erased-History-International-Thought-Without-ebook/dp/B0DB6MVKYZ

Patricia Owens is a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford’s Somerville College. Her research interests include twentieth-century international history and theory, historical and contemporary practices of Anglo-American counterinsurgency and military intervention, and disciplinary history and the history of international and political thought. She was Principal Investigator of the multi-award-winning Leverhulme Research Project on Women and the History of International Thought. Her new book, "Erased: A History of International Thought without Men" was published in March of 2025 by Princeton University Press.

The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity.

Produced by Theo Malhotra and Freddie Mallinson. 

Recorded on May 7, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world.

Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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