Saprobic politics: Decomposing colonial cosmologies in international relations

Gabriella Colello discusses the key points from her new Review of International Studies article - Saprobic politics: Decomposing colonial cosmologies in international relations

Want to know more? You can read the full article at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210525000269

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Abstract

This article introduces a fungal framework, both metaphorically and methodologically, for reimagining power, resistance, and world-making in International Relations (IR). Drawing on relational ontologies and ecological insights, it examines how fungal processes of decomposition and regeneration shed light on the entangled relations that constitute the pluriverse—a world of many worlds. By centering decay as a site of transformation, the framework proposes an ethic of research grounded in humility and care. It critiques the epistemic closures that structure dominant IR paradigms and offers tools for engaging ontological multiplicity beyond Eurocentric frames. In doing so, the article contributes to emerging debates on decolonial methodology, more-than-human agency, and pluriversal ethics, advocating for approaches that accompany, rather than assimilate, multiple worlds.

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