Barry Buzan

From International to World Society?

English School Theory and the Social Structure of Globalisation

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

How does one understand the idea of society on a global scale, where the members are not individuals, but states, firms, NGOs and nations? The English school represents a strong tradition of thinking about these unusual societies, and in this book Barry Buzan offers a fresh contribution to that tradition. He sets out a new theoretical framework emphasising social structure that can be used to address globalisation as a complex political interplay among state and non-state actors.

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In this 2004 book, Barry Buzan offers an extensive critique and reappraisal of the English school approach to International Relations. Starting on the neglected concept of world society and bringing together the international society tradition and the Wendtian mode of constructivism, Buzan offers a new theoretical framework that can be used to address globalisation as a complex political interplay among state and non-state actors. This approach forces English school theory to confront neglected questions about both its basic concepts and assumptions, and about the constitution of society in terms of what values are shared, how and why they are shared, and by whom. Buzan highlights the idea of primary institutions as the central contribution of English school theory and shows how this both differentiates English school theory from realism and neoliberal institutionalism, and how it can be used to generate distinctive comparative and historical accounts of international society.

Produktdetails

• Cambridge Studies in International Relations 95
• Verlag: Cambridge University Press
• Seitenzahl: 320
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. April 2010
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 19mm
• Gewicht: 528g
• ISBN-13: 9780521541213
• ISBN-10: 0521541212
• Artikelnr.: 20886920

Autorenporträt

Barry Buzan is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author, co-author or editor of over fifteen books and has published widely in academic journals.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction; 1. English school theory and its problems: an overview; 2. World society in English school theory; 3. Concepts of world society outside the English school; 4. Reimagining the English school's triad; 5. Reconstructing the pluralist-solidarist debate; 6. The primary institutions of international society; 7. Bringing geography back in; 8. Conclusions: a portrait of contemporary interstate society.

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Introduction
1. English school theory and its problems: an overview
2. World society in English school theory
3. Concepts of world society outside the English school
4. Reimagining the English school's triad
5. Reconstructing the pluralist-solidarist debate
6. The primary institutions of international society
7. Bringing geography back in
8. Conclusions: a portrait of contemporary interstate society.

Rezensionen

'This book represents an attempt to rethink and redevelop the English School project as a coherent research program. Although it builds on the basic assumptions and premises that underlie the English School framework, it greatly expands the scope of the project and rethinks many of the fundamental issues and tensions. It actively engages with much of American social science and sociological literatures, makes some very nice links to American constructivist scholarship, and offers some excellent ways to improve the Wendtian approach. I view the manuscript as the most important English School work in a generation.' Bruce Cronin, City College of New York