An application of exclusion theory to world politics: core-periphery relations in Middle East history

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2021-1-4

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Oğultarhan, Adem

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The central claim of the thesis is that when world political relations are assessed from a systems perspective, the main template of relations can be established along core-periphery dichotomy, instead of a state-centric approach. From this perspective, the underlying relationship in world politics is the one between the core and the periphery and this relationship is characterized by the dynamics of exclusion vs. inclusion. Exclusion and inclusion concepts are derived from Niklas Luhmann’s system theory, and based on these concepts a new model has been offered. Then, this model has been applied to the history of the Middle East from ancient Mesopotamia to the Ottoman-Safavid period. The reason why this region and this period is chosen is that they are understudied in the discipline of IR. Second, it is this region and period where for the first time the regional political relations became observable in history. The findings that are achieved by studying the political relations of the region are mostly in compliance with the predictions of the theoretical model we developed. The findings are: (1) It is more appropriate to read the world politics from a lens of core-periphery dichotomy rather than a state-centric perspective. (2) The underlying relationship between the core and the periphery is exclusion. (3) Peripheral areas seek inclusion in their relations with the core. (4) Core areas are not opponents of each other, rather they cooperate with each other. (5) Peripheral areas do not show a cohesion.

Subject Keywords

International Relations of the Middle East, the Exclusion Theory, Niklas Luhmann, Systems Theory and International Relations, International System

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https://hdl.handle.net/11511/89904

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

A. Oğultarhan, “An application of exclusion theory to world politics: core-periphery relations in Middle East history,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2021.