“There is always the possibility that new ideas will emerge and that we should be open to these ideas”
Nivedita Kapoor about her academic path, scientific interests and “The Theory of International Relations” course
The International Programme ‘International Relations and Global Studies’ is always looking forward towards inviting the best professors in their field from all over the world. The educational standards successfully set through the decade of development of IRGS are first and foremost the merit of our lecturers that always bring something unique to a common perception of the subject. One of such professors is Nivedita Kappor, who is teaching the course in Theory of International Relations at IRGS. The press centre of our programme has spoken to her, covering Nivedita’s career path, scientific interest and experience of teaching the course.
– Why have you decided to move to Russia and work at the HSE University?
I came to Moscow in October of 2021 when I joined HSE. It was not the first time when I came to Russia because both my MPhil and PhD are in Russian studies. After I completed my master's in International Relations, when I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue research, I picked Russia as my area of research. So I have been working on Russia for a long time. Before 2021, I came to Russia a couple of times, once for my PhD fieldwork. I also came here for a couple of conferences. But of course, what I wanted to do was to live here for at least some time: to see Russia for myself, to learn the language properly, to meet people, to meet other experts. So with all of this in mind, I decided to come to HSE, which offers a postdoctoral program. That's how I first came here.
Furthermore, there are not a lot of universities in Russia that offer English postdoctoral programs. So it was good that HSE does offer that. It gives foreigners an opportunity to come here. And because my area of work is mostly focused on Russian foreign policy in Asia and Eurasia, and a lot of experts here at HSE work on that issue, it was a very good fit for me.
– Which differences and similarities may you identify between educational practices in India and the IRGS programme, which was established through fruitful cooperation with the University of London?
That's a very interesting question. When I saw the course structure and when I was explained how the course works, I thought it was very similar. Even though I am talking about my master's experience and now I teach bachelor's students, nevertheless the way it is taught is very similar. So we have the same procedure of having readings at the beginning given to us. And then the teachers would give the lectures, but we were supposed to do the readings in advance. And that is something very similar that I find here, namely that you have a set of readings, you teach them and later on in the seminars we discuss them with students. So I thought that idea is very similar.
Talking about differences, I am not entirely sure about that either. I have not found any great differences in how we do it. The one difference that I do see is the focus on seminars. I think this is more of a Western concept. For instance, in my Indian university we did not have separate seminar classes. Thus, that is one difference that I do see. But it is possible that now there are more private universities that have also come up in India. And maybe they are implementing this kind of system of lectures and seminars. But when I was studying, the seminar part was not there in my education.
– And was there something that you were particularly surprised of?
I think what did surprise me after seeing the course schedule that I am teaching is that it is very, very intensive. The list of readings is very comprehensive and, more broadly, it is a very well-structured course, but it is also very rigorous. And it is impressive that bachelor students have the list of readings of such a high level. Generally, I was very impressed with the high level of preparation of students here, because the course itself is really intensive.
– You have mentioned your focus of your current research, the Russian foreign policy in Asia. May you tell something more about this?
When I started my PhD, my research was focused on Russian foreign policy in East Asia and how China affects that. In other words, the Chinese factor in Russia's policy towards East Asia in the post-Cold War period. Thus, that was the focus of my PhD. And then over the years, I have extended that work across most of Asia. So I focus on India-Russia relations, Russia-China relations, Russia in Northeast Asia, Russia in Southeast Asia. I also look at the various international organizations that Russia is involved in across Eurasia, such as BRICS, SCO – that kind of thing. For example, last year I was involved in a project with my Russian colleagues. And it was a project on Russia in South Asia. So we were also looking at how Russia is developing its policies in that part of the world, and what it is doing in the Indian Ocean. Generally, these are my current main scientific interests.
– May you briefly tell what the course you are teaching is about?
The course is called Theory of International Relations or International Political Theory. In this entire course, I will be teaching students about all the scholars from the classical period to the modern times who have impacted development of international political theory. So we started with Hobbes, Grotius, Mill… We have come down now to realism. We are talking about colonialism, decolonization. We will talk about dependency theory. Then we will also reach up to the postmodernist scholars. Therefore, it resembles a studying of an entire spectrum of thought that will explain to students how international theory has come about.
– Generally, why is it important to know international theories, the history of international political thought? Why should students know that?
I deem that it is a very thoughtful question. Firstly, I want to pay attention to the academic dimension: we want to see how the discipline has evolved. In other words, we are all studying IR, we want to see how IR came into being and how it has reached the point where it is today. Therefore, that is the academic focus, which obviously every student needs to know.
However, it is not that we are only studying history, we are not just restricted to the historical sphere: we are applying all of that history to our present world. What is also helping us as students of IR (by the way, I am also a student of IR, even though I am teaching, I am also a student of the subject!) – is that it helps us understand how to structure the world that we live in. And we see what are the new ideas that we can bring to the world and what are the old ideas that are still applicable. In that sense, it gives us a way to think about the present world as well.
Moreover, I think it is not just about the classroom studies. We are studying the development of theory across history; we are studying different scholars, and these scholars are all in debate with each other, because they are talking about different ideas. One writes one thing, the other contradicts him or her, and the thought keeps developing, and it does not stop. So I think it is also a very good way to approach not just IR, but our studies in general to always understand that these debates have continued through history. To never think that we have arrived at this one final idea and that this is the final truth. The idea that these scholars have been debating these theories for so long I think is a good way of approaching our own subject in that we should always be open to new ideas. I think that is a very good way to approach IR, to always know that there can be something unexpected that comes in. There is always the possibility that new ideas will emerge and that we should be open to those ideas. As a result, I think that is why this course is not just about studying this particular subject, but in general, our defining approach to IR. I think that is why it is important.
– What can you wish for your current students and students of subsequent years?
The course as it is designed is a very good opportunity to learn the subject comprehensively. While I am teaching, I continue to learn both from the students and from the work that I am doing. Obviously for students, this is the best time when they can apply themselves to their work, this is the time when they can explore as many ideas as possible. Moreover, given that they are studying international relations, they have such a huge opportunity to explore so many different areas: international politics, economics, history. It is just such a vast area that the only thing I wish for them is that they should stay curious. They should remain open to ideas. They should remain open to all the debates. They should be respectful of different viewpoints and understand that the more they explore these ideas and the more they learn, the more enriched they eventually will be. Thus, my wish is that they maintain their curiosity and simply continue to learn.
The material was prepared within the framework of the project “Press centre of International Relations and Global Studies”: interview: Ivan Pokatilov (2nd year), editor: Timofei Petrov (2nd year, press center coordinator)