Ethics of Care and International Politics: A Feminist Decolonial Perspective

Volume 14|Issue 80| May 2026 |Articles

Abstract

This study examines whether ethics of care can serve as a viable alternative to Liberalism in international political theory. Situating care ethics within the field of International Relations, it also interrogates its limitations through postcolonial and decolonial critiques that expose its Western biases. The study argues that Liberalism obscures the relationship between care responsibilities and the practices that generate them, thereby suppressing key aspects of ethics and political contestation. By challenging liberal individualism and foregrounding interdependence rather than victimhood, a political theory of care can reconsider international politics and highlight both its gendered nature and its underlying interconnectedness. However, the study contends that existing formulations of care ethics remain insufficient: they do not adequately confront the hegemonic and colonial structure of the world order, which is shaped by Western powers and the United States, nor do they fully address the deep Eurocentrism embedded in the field of International Relations.​​​​​

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​A Researcher and Secondary Education Professor with a Doctorate in Political Philosophy at the University of Tunis.

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