Uneven and Combined Development and the critique of internalism in International Relations
a peripheral appropriation of Justin Rosenberg’s theoretical project
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21530/ci.v21n1.2026.1636Keywords:
Uneven and Combined Development, Justin Rosenberg, Multiplicty, Internalism, Peripheral theorizationAbstract
Since the 1990s, Justin Rosenberg has been developing a theorization based on the ideas of
Uneven and Combined Development (UCD) and multiplicity, which are related to critiques
of International Relations’ (IR) internalism. However, its critical potential is called into
question by interventions that identify Eurocentric meanings in the idea of UCD. In this
article, while presenting and analyzing Rosenberg’s formulations and those of his interlocutors
over the last three decades, a focus is placed on the dialogue with these Eurocentrism
critiques, indicating a path to overcome the theoretical limitations they expose. In doing
so, the article seeks to propose a peripheral appropriation of UCD through combinations
with literatures that make explicit characteristics of multiplicity hidden in the basic form
of UCD and in mainstream theorizations, thus contributing to specific debates surrounding
this notion and to the advancement of plural understandings of multiplicity, understood
as the ontology of IR.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Francisco Luiz de Andrade Neto
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