This article re-examines Akira Iriye’s “After Imperialism: The Search for a New Order in the Far East, 1921—1931” through the lens of its enduring methodological and historiographical resonance. First published at a moment when diplomatic history remained largely Eurocentric and state-focused, Iriye’s study opened new avenues by integrating Asian actors as autonomous shapers of international order and by embedding cultural perspectives within the narrative of interwar diplomacy. The article situates Iriye’s intervention within broader debates on the limits of imperial power, the fragility of international frameworks such as the Washington System, and the complex entanglements between diplomacy, public opinion and competing nationalisms. By foregrounding the Soviet Union’s role as more than a passive backdrop or ideological foil, Iriye challenged prevailing Cold War paradigms and broadened Western scholarly engagement with non-Western archives. In reassessing the reach and reception of Iriye’s work — including its influence on the so-called “transnational turn” — this study highlights the continued relevance of a multi-archival, culturally attuned approach to the study of international history. It argues that After Imperialism should be read not only as a pioneering case study in Far Eastern diplomatic history but as a foundational text that anticipated later concerns with the interplay of power, culture and global interdependence.
Armais Ananyan (Wed,) studied this question.