
The Waves of Time
Long-Term Change and International Relations
K. R. Dark(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Published on 6. October 2016
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-4742-8830-9 (ISBN)
Description
Since the end of the Cold War, analysts of international politics have given much greater attention to issues of change. It has become increasingly clear to specialists from many fields that any understanding of large-scale political change must encompass far longer timescales than has been usual in the study of world politics, and must incorporate multi-disciplinary perspectives.
This book evaluates and draws on relevant theoretical approaches from other disciplines such as sociology, economics, geography, history, anthropology and archaeology, as well as evolutionary theory and the mathematical study of complexity. Using an epistemological framework, Dark sets out a theory of long-term world political change: the theory of 'Macrodynamics'. This is then applied to historical, anthropological and archaeological data to explain the changing forms of political organization, from the earliest human societies to the late twentieth century. The resulting analysis is a reinterpretation of the processes of global political change in the past and present. This, in turn, opens new areas of enquiry in the study of international relations and has profound implications for how we understand the changing world of today.
This book evaluates and draws on relevant theoretical approaches from other disciplines such as sociology, economics, geography, history, anthropology and archaeology, as well as evolutionary theory and the mathematical study of complexity. Using an epistemological framework, Dark sets out a theory of long-term world political change: the theory of 'Macrodynamics'. This is then applied to historical, anthropological and archaeological data to explain the changing forms of political organization, from the earliest human societies to the late twentieth century. The resulting analysis is a reinterpretation of the processes of global political change in the past and present. This, in turn, opens new areas of enquiry in the study of international relations and has profound implications for how we understand the changing world of today.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
622 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4742-8830-9 (9781474288309)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2016
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€133.99
Available for download
Person
K. R. Dark is Associate Professor at the University of Reading, UK. His area of interest covers the interdisciplinary relationship between archaeological and historical research and studies of contemporary economics and international relations.
Content
Introduction
1. Beyond the Horizon: Theories of Long-Term Change in International Relations
2. How Times Change: The Interdisciplinary Context
3. Making History: Shared Perspectives and Shared Problems in the Study of Long-Term Change
4. The Waves of Time? A New Theory of Change in Socio-Political Systems
5. The Origins of International Relations: Non-State Societies
6. Cyclical States: The Long-Term Dynamics of Socio-Political Systems in the Age of the State
7. Volatile Networks: Socio-Political Dynamics in the Age of the Global System
Bibliography
Index
1. Beyond the Horizon: Theories of Long-Term Change in International Relations
2. How Times Change: The Interdisciplinary Context
3. Making History: Shared Perspectives and Shared Problems in the Study of Long-Term Change
4. The Waves of Time? A New Theory of Change in Socio-Political Systems
5. The Origins of International Relations: Non-State Societies
6. Cyclical States: The Long-Term Dynamics of Socio-Political Systems in the Age of the State
7. Volatile Networks: Socio-Political Dynamics in the Age of the Global System
Bibliography
Index