A Light in the Window: Canada, Race, and South African Apartheid, 1958-1994

This dissertation is an international history of Canada and South African apartheid from 1958-1994. Based on multi-archival research and interviews with policymakers, diplomats, and pro- and anti-apartheid activists, it investigates how race informed the worldview of decision-makers and, in turn, shaped policy towards apartheid. By highlighting the formative role of racial perceptions in orienting Canada’s response to apartheid, this thesis addresses why Canada was so engaged on an issue seemingly peripheral to its national interests. In so doing, it shows how race and the liberal order are deeply intertwined and offers a fresh approach to the study of Canada’s international history

Norms from the periphery: tracing the rise of the common but differentiated principle in international environmental politics

Over the last three decades, constructivist scholars of international relations have created a rich body of literature on the influence of global norms. Until recently, the vast majority of that work focused on norms originating in the developed world and neglected the ideational impact of developing countries. This article confronts this oversight in the literature by tracing the rise of the “common but differentiated responsibility” (CBDR) norm in international environmental politics. The CBDR principle traces its origins to the developing world and today it is part of the framework principles of international environmental agreements. Thus, it represents a global norm promoted by, rather than diffused to, the developing world. In the process of tracing this norm’s rise, this article generates a set of hypotheses about the conditions under which developing countries create global norms