Remembering L.H.M. Ling
L.H.M. Ling, professor of international affairs at The New School, was a scholar of singular importance whose work leaves a lasting mark on International Relations. Rejecting the Westphalian premise of world politics as an “arena of ceaseless strife and competition,” she began to offer an alternative paradigm, one that she called “Worldism.” Ling was a pioneer of post-colonial and feminist approaches to international relations, fields that have gained rapid momentum over the last decade. She was honored as the 2018 Eminent Scholar by the Feminist Theory and Gender Studies section of the International Studies Association. And her 2002 book, Postcolonial International Relations: Conquest and Desire between Asia and the West, serves as one of the foundational texts of its field.
Professor Ling was one of the founding members of the Critical Edge Alliance, a global collaborative framework for universities that focus upon student-centered learning, critical thinking, interdisciplinary teaching and research, and social engagement. Their 2019 Conference, to be hosted at The New School, is dedicated to her memory, and will focus on the exploration of contemporary issues around boundary crossing as they relate to universities and learning.
In 2017, Professor Ling spoke at the Rutgers University Division of Global Affairs about decolonizing world politics in India and China.
Professor Ling served on the inaugural Global Platform Working Group and proposed the theme “Decolonizing Knowledges.” In honor of her invaluable contributions to the field and this initiative, the working group dedicates the launch of this platform to her memory.
Read more about Lily Ling’s legacy here.