PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Political Theory — meaning and approaches

Eurocentrism is both the target and the motive force of the post-colonial political theory. Discuss.

How the answer moves

The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.

Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
Ri: Eurocentrism as Western universality — post- colonial theory grows against it — dual relation. R2 European thought “indispensable and inadequate” — target + motive force in one stroke.
Body flow
Define Eurocentrism → target: Said (Orientalism), Fanon (race/psyche), Spivak (subaltern) — motive force: can't escape European categories — Kautilya-Machiavelli trap.. Global South conflicts read as religious /tribal.
Counter-view
Aijaz Ahmad: the culturalist focus can hide capital and class.
Conclusion routes
R1 aim is plural analysis, not reverse Eurocentrism. R2 Eurocentrism — the wall to dismantle and the floor to

Model answer

Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.

Handwritten model answer — UPSC PSIR 2023, Political Theory — meaning and approaches