Lessons from the Ontology of Complete Interconnectedness For
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© COPYRIGHT by Tamara Ann Trownsell 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED To Jade Samay, my inspiration, my mirror. ROBUST RELATIONALITY: LESSONS FROM THE ONTOLOGY OF COMPLETE INTERCONNECTEDNESS FOR THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BY Tamara Ann Trownsell ABSTRACT Rather than taking the generally assumed parameters and tenets of the field of International Relations and of knowledge production for granted, this dissertation examines these assumptions in light of a contrasting mirror to gauge the likelihood of being able to generate knowledge that can respond to the concerns of this field, diminish the likelihood of war, and augment the chances for peace. The final conclusion is that the methodological approaches currently engaged within this field will not be able to respond in any significant way to the field’s goals due to the ‘eternally’ privileged thrust toward imbalance afforded through the separation-based ontological lens generally shared and employed to constitute the time- spacescape of Western-style academia. I show this through an elaborate contrast between the fruits afforded through the ontology of separation against those generated through an ontology of complete interconnectedness. For this contrast I draw on certain key principles of Andean philosophy as one particular collective manifestation of the lens of complete interconnectedness. For these principles to serve as an appropriate contrast, however, their common (re- )interpretations as found within both chronicles of the conquest and contemporary anthropological works must be thoroughly re-expanded through a lens of complete interconnectedness due to the reductionist effects of the lens of separation that was employed to document them. Once we get a glimpse of the more robust picture generated through this lens and its implications, we are then able to discern how even the relational methodological ii approaches applied within the field of IR and in academia more broadly still adhere to certain separation-based parameters that preclude them from accessing, and therefore being able to use, the full implications of robust monism, which include being able to ontologically privilege balance as well as explaining how we are compelled to fall into the vicious cycles of epistemic violence, of resorting to a teleological framework for engaging reality, and expressing ourselves in terms of domination and submission. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A la Mamita, la Pachamama: Gracias por acompañarme, por permitirme crecer contigo, sentirte, estar consciente de tu presencia constante, de nuestra relación íntegra y recíproca. Gracias por rodearme de bienestar, salud y los cuatro elementos y gracias por permitirme fluir contigo. Mamita, mamita, que me aterrices, que me tengas tiernamente en tu seno para que pueda alinearme con el latido de tu corazón. A la Mama Killa: Gracias por despertarme en tantos sentidos y por ayudarme a alinearme contigo para entender el Sumak Kawsay y el Llaki Kawsay. To the ‘ayllu’ of Ecuador who, in their many ‘run-ins’ with me have shown me graciousness, patience and just what I needed at each moment to begin to understand their reality: Thank you for being willing to interact with me as a pivotal mirror of contrast. Thank you for holding onto enough of your roots so that even I could get a glimpse of the critical importance of your ‘ancestral’ wisdom. Thank you for allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to show me how you re-hash old wounds, the complexities engendered from the colonial encounter, your ‘chuchaki colonial.’ Most importantly, thank you for allowing me to see how I play a role in this reproduction and how I do the same to myself. In response I hope that this work may help heal some of these continually re-produced wounds and inculcate a pride in the deep, thick richness you have to offer the world. To Patrick Thaddeus Jackson: You shook the ‘foundations’ of my dualist world with the help of your compañeros Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, Foucault, Shotter, Bakhtin and Weber among others. You forced me to stretch my mind like no one else, and then when the dust settled you prodded me to throw out the ladder that you proposed. While through most of my ‘field journey’ I did not realize that this product was to be the end result, in hindsight I realize that the prostheses that you ‘shewed’ me plus the ‘serendipitous’ life/field events that happened since iv together gave me the ability to throw out many ladders, including the idea of the ladder itself. As I prepare to ‘fly,’ it is with love, gratitude and honor that I present you with this work. To David Blaney and Carole Gallaher: Thank you for being so supportive and willing to engage with this project and with me during my long preparation phase. To Kiran Pervez: Thank you for sincerely engaging the conversation that led me to formulate the question that gave form this work. To Naeem Inayatullah and David Blaney: Our conversation on ‘discursive ghosts’ helped me move into the subtleties included herein. May their whisperings be recognized, honored and respected in the always-emergent-yet-anchored nature of reality. To my biological family: Thank you for co-creating with me, for being patient and for helping me to put all that I write to the test. To my ‘spiritual family’—René, Carlitos, Rita, Nita, Mónica, Andrés, Cuni, Star-Bresette, Francisco, ShaNoan, Chuck, Silvina and María Elena: Thank you so much for helping me to see myself. To Rita Cook: Thank you for helping me to get to a place where I could achieve my goal and speak my truth. To Tricia Spence: You have demonstrated an ‘astronomical’ level of courage by being willing to face life head-on and to put these ideas to the test in the face of personal contrast. Thank you for being such a model of courage. To all of the ‘angels’ who have cared for and nurtured my child and my ‘self’: Thank you for bearing that weight so that this project could come to fruition. To Mauricio Pino and others: Thank you for taking over my classes so that I could focus on my dissertation. To Lucas Achig and Cecilia Balarezo: In addition to providing me with a great place to live, I thank you for our conversations that helped me realize some of the most pressing concerns contained herein. To Ray Leki: May this be a testament of how right you were about my character. To James Hogan and Michel Menou: You have been inspiring life mentors for me. v To the institutions that have embraced and supported me—American University, Centro de Estudios Interamericanos (CEDEI), Universidad del Azuay, Rice University, National Student Leadership Conference, Fordham University, P.E.O International, the Inter-American Foundation and the Thomas J. Watson Foundation: Thank you for allowing me the space to ‘think differently’ and to ‘be different’ and for giving me the chance to prod and contemplate the ‘edges’ of reality. To Andrea Paredes-Herrera and the Distance Learning and Inter-Library Loans department at the American University Library: Realizing this work overseas would not have been possible without your speedy and accurate support. Finally and most importantly I would like to acknowledge all those sources whose subtle messages find no place for proper expression in the Western-style academic citation method. To All Our Relations, to the Seven Directions, to the Four Elements, a mis Abuelitos, to the always patient, always forgiving Spirits in our midst, to Hummingbird, Snake, Killilliku, Hawk, Eagle, Dragonfly, Spider, Dog, Cat and Pegasus, to the sacred sites of Shabalula, Chobshi, the Mandango, Guagua Zhumi, Monjas Waico and Pumapungo, to the Moon and the Sun, to the Mountains and the Ocean, to the Rivers, Rain and Clouds, to the Plants that have accompanied me, to the Tobacco Spirit, to Music: Thank you for being my equals, for infusing me with your energy, for being willing to work with me, support me and teach me so much, for prodding me to listen, for pointing out the beauty of life, and for forcing me to reconcile with my own imbalances. May this whole work be a tribute with much gratitude to your constant support and devotion. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 IR in a Fishbowl ...................................................................................................... 2 Time-spacescapes ................................................................................................... 7 The Western-style Time-spacescape of Separation .................................. 11 The Western-style Academic Time-spacescape ....................................... 12 The Andean-style Time-spacescape of Complete Interconnectedness .................................................................................... 16 The Main Point ..................................................................................................... 20 PART I ONTOLOGICAL DISJUNCTURES ‘IN THE FIELD’ ................................................ 24 CHAPTER