Research Newsletter - Issue 91: Spotlight
Launch of the First DCU Press Book
Last month, Ireland’s first open-access university press celebrated the launch of its first title, Statecraft and Foreign Policy: India, 1947 – 2023, by Dr Jivanta Schottli (Director of the India Ireland Institute, School of Law & Government), Dr Markus Pauli (School of Law & Government) and Prof. Subrata K. Mitra (Adjunct Professor DCU), in a high profile event featuring speeches from His Excellency Akhilesh Mishra, Indian Ambassador to Ireland, and DCU President Daire Keogh.
DCU Press
Established by DCU Library and the Vice President for Research, DCU Press provides free, immediate global access to new academic publications online, with a print-on-demand service also available. This open access model aligns with DCU Library’s stance on Open Research as outlined on its dedicated webpage. All books published under the imprint will also be discoverable via search engines such as Google/Google Scholar, OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) online library and JSTOR.
DCU Press’ free publishing model is open to all DCU authors, with proposals reviewed by an editorial board chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Derek Hand, and including Prof. Maura Conway (School of Law and Government), Prof. James Kelly (School of History and Geography), Prof. Dorothy Kenny (School of Applied Language & Intercultural Studies), and Prof. Greg McNamara (School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering). The rigorous peer review process includes further review from external subject experts. DCU Press has also partnered with UCL Press, the UK’s first fully open access press. The UCL Press team will provide DCU Press with full editorial and production services, including open access and print distribution services.
“Research impact is a central pillar of DCU’s strategic plan, and this new publishing imprint, Ireland’s first open-access university press, offers the potential for researchers to have their work immediately accessible to a global readership. The DCU Press publishing model, emphasising high-quality production and peer-reviewing standards, ensures that DCU scholars can enter into debates and set the agenda for discussion within their discipline. DCU’s ambition is to transform lives and societies, and DCU Press embodies that goal, guaranteeing that at a local and global level, some of the barriers to accessing knowledge in the classroom fall away” says Prof Hand.
Statecraft and Foreign Policy: India, 1947 – 2023
DCU President Professor Daire Keogh with His Excellency Akhilesh Mishra, Indian Ambassador to Ireland
Statecraft and Foreign Policy: India, 1947 – 2023 explores India’s rise as an economic and political power on the global stage, and the domestic and geopolitical theories that influence the country’s statecraft and foreign policy.
The book includes three main sections, focusing on the evolution of India’s foreign policy after Independence, its transformation after the Cold War and as India’s economic and political power grew, along with its engagement with major powers (like the US, China and Russia), neighbouring countries, and international institutions. The analysis draws on International Relations Theory, Foreign Policy Analysis, and the work of classic Indian thinkers like Kautilya. It combines evaluating domestic and international influences on India’s statecraft and foreign policy.
Dr Jivanta Schottli
"In the book, we draw on international relations theories, such as neorealism, constructivism, and institutionalism, and apply them to the case study of India, the world's largest democracy and an increasingly important global actor," says Dr Schottli.
"Our book draws on India's deep history, strategic culture, and economy, as well as the domestic and international constraints. We introduce an analytical toolbox for the analysis of foreign policy, which can be applied to any country," added Prof. Mitra.
The ‘toolbox’ the authors introduce for studying the making and the outcomes of Foreign Policy is based on an analysis of interests, perceptions, and values. This analytical framework goes beyond the Indian case study and can be applied to International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Foreign Policy Analysis.
Dr Pauli says, "The book analyzes the contemporary challenges of trade, climate change, and security. Open Access was the most important criterion for selecting a book publisher – as we want to reach a wide audience around the world."
“The study is suitable for undergraduates and postgraduates, presenting a detailed overview of India’s international relations from independence to the present. It is encyclopaedic in scope, charting a developing foreign policy in an ever-changing global context touching on the issues of trade, climate change and security. It is a reference guide but also offers a compelling argument suggesting how foreign policy becomes a means of articulating a more local sense of national identity.” says Prof. Derek Hand.
DCU Press is one of many initiatives with which the university aims to increase citations, encourage collaboration, and build DCU’s reputation as a a research institution. Submissions are now open via the DCU Press website.