Description
The rapid expansion of human activity beyond Earth—driven by commercial ambition, geopolitical rivalry, and the search for survival—poses profound questions for International Studies. How do we understand sovereignty, order, and governance when the arena of politics extends into space? This paper argues that the frameworks shaping both outer space policy and the discipline itself remain grounded in colonial logics. From the Cold War origins of space exploration to contemporary regimes like the Artemis Accords and China’s ILRS, outer space has been imagined as a frontier to be claimed, managed, and exploited—mirroring the histories of empire that underpinned international order on Earth.
Drawing on decolonial theory, this paper examines how the “coloniality of power” continues to structure global space governance, while also exploring relational cosmologies that offer alternative imaginaries of coexistence. By bringing these perspectives into dialogue, the paper repositions space as a site through which International Studies can rethink its own boundaries—moving from a discipline defined by terrestrial geopolitics to one attuned to planetary and cosmic relations. Ultimately, it asks whether International Studies is prepared to confront the post-terrestrial realities it now faces, and what a truly decolonial future for the field might entail.
