
International Systems in World History
Remaking the Study of International Relations
Oxford University Press
Published on 13. April 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
472 pages
978-0-19-878065-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book tells the 60,000 year story of how humankind evolved from a scattering of hunter-gatherer bands to todays highly integrated global international political economy. It traces the evolution of ever-wider economic, societal and military-political international systems, and the interplay between these systems and the tribes, city states, empires, and modern states into which humans have organised themselves. Buzan and Little marry a wide range of mainstream International Relations theories to a world historical perspective. They mount a stinging attack on International Relations as a discipline, arguing that its Eurocentrism, historical narrowness, and theoretical fragmentation have reduced almost to nothing both its cross-disclipinary influence and its ability to think coherently about either the past or the future. Seeking to emulate and challenge the cross-disciplinary influence of the world systems model, the book recasts the study of International Relations into a macro-historical perspective, shows how its core concepts work across time, and sets out a new theoretical agenda and a new intellectual role for the discipline.
Reviews / Votes
'This is an outstandingly good book, which succeeds on many different levels.The book is exceptionally well structured and well written. There is so much in this book for so many types of scholars of International Relations. I am certain that this book will be seen over time not only as one of the most intellectually impressive mergers of theory and history in the field, but also as a massive advance on US-style neo-realism. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, not least because I became fascinated with the argument, and found myself nodding in admiration as the authors pulled off the feat of bringing all the elements together into a powerful and intellectually impressive discussion of the types of international system found in world history. This is one of the most important books published in the last decade and for intellectual sophistication it leave neo-realism US-style standing, but also drowning.' International Affairs 76:4 (2000) 833-4.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
line illustrations and maps
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
811 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-878065-6 (9780198780656)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Barry Buzan is Research Professor of International Studies at the University of Westminster and Project Director of the European Security Group at the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute. Prior to this he was Professor of International Relations at the University of Warwick. He has been visiting professor at the International University of Japan and has also been an Olof Palme visiting professor and adviser on foreign affairs to the Swedish government. He is the author of numerous books on International Relations and from 1988-90 was the Chairman of the British International Studies Association.
Richard Little is Professor of International Politics in the Department of Politics at the University of Bristol. Before this he was at the Open University and Lancaster University and has held fellowships at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the Australian National University. He was editor of the Review of International Studies from 1990-94 and is currently Vice Chair of the B
Richard Little is Professor of International Politics in the Department of Politics at the University of Bristol. Before this he was at the Open University and Lancaster University and has held fellowships at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the Australian National University. He was editor of the Review of International Studies from 1990-94 and is currently Vice Chair of the B
Author
Professor of International Studies, Centre for the Study of DemocracyProfessor of International Studies, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster
Professor of International Politics, Department of PoliticsProfessor of International Politics, Department of Politics, University of Bristol
Content
PART I: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS, WORLD HISTORY, AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY ; PART II: SYSTEMS IN PRE-INTERNATIONAL WORLD HISTORY ; PART III: THE RISE AND INTERLINKAGE OF MULTIPLE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS IN THE ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL WORLD ; PART IV: THE ESTABLISHMENT AND EVOLUTION OF A GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM ; PART V: SPECULATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, REFLECTIONS