ИМПЕРСКИЕ ФАНТОМЫ И МИРОПОРЯДОК

Introduction. The article is dedicated to certain aspects of the post-empires’ agenda. The authors are inclined to think that the post-empire concept is relevant to the analysis of the current international relations; some rhetoric questions are also raised. Materials and methods. In order to compare social practices of different empires and post-empires taking into account the historical context, the authors use the comparative method. What is more, in order to reveal the origins of the “empire” as a concept, the authors use the elements of “knowledge archeology” as a popular method of social philosophy. The materials used are the social practices and historical experience of some post-empires: Great Britain, France and Serbia. Research results. First of all, authors concluded that the “empire” as a concept is one of the essentially-contested one, which means that this form of statehood could have various interpretations. Secondly, post-empire statehood is an integral part of modern international relations. Therefore the wellknown “empire syndrome” appears to be not only the abstract social phenomenon, but also the way the state acts on the international arena. Discussions and conclusions. The authors conclude that the empire syndrome and post-empire statehood tend to be the integral part of the modern IR, therefore these concepts should be taken into account within the framework of international studies. The questions raised could also drive further studies and debates.