Abstract
This chapter is an introduction to applying a postcolonial lens to foreign policy analysis. It provides helpful definitions of key terms and concepts related to postcolonialism and follows it with a brief overview of the history of postcolonial studies. Thereafter, it lays out the key assumptions associated with postcolonial approaches in International Relations in general, and foreign policy analysis in particular. Through detailed examples, this chapter illustrates how a postcolonial lens helps us critically think through structures, policies and performances that shape foreign policy and examine the ways in which colonial and racial histories continue to inform our present.
