State Sovereignty as Social Construct

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511598685

State sovereignty is an inherently social construct. The modern state system is not based on some timeless principle of sovereignty, but on the production of a normative conception which links authority, territory, population (society, nation), and recognition in a unique way, and in a particular place (the state). Attempting to realize this ideal entails a great deal of hard work on the part of statespersons, diplomats, and intellectuals. The ideal of state sovereignty is a product of the actions of powerful agents and the resistances to those actions by those located at the margins of power. The unique contribution of this book is to describe, theorize, and illustrate the practices which have socially constructed, reproduced, reconstructed, and deconstructed various sovereign ideals and resistances to them. The contributors analyse how all the components of state sovereignty - not only recognition, but also territory, population, and authority - are socially constructed and combined in specific historical contexts.

"This useful collection poses an important intellectual challenge to the dominant epistemology...and the central substantive concern...of international politics. The contributors perceptively employ a social constructivist approach to unpack the concept of state sovereignity and reinterpret its several constituent dimensions: recognition, territory, population, authority." S. Mozaffar, Choice

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi
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Contents
pp vii-viii
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List of figures
pp ix-ix
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List of contributors
pp x-xi
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Acknowledgments
pp xii-xiv
- By Thomas J. Biersteker, Political Science at Brown University, Cynthia Weber, Purdue University
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1 - The social construction of state sovereignty
pp 1-21
- By Thomas J. Biersteker, Political Science at Brown University, Cynthia Weber, Purdue University
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2 - Contested sovereignty: the social construction of colonial imperialism
pp 22-49
- By David Strang, Cornell University
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3 - Beyond the sovereignty dilemma: quasi-states as social construct
pp 50-80
- By Naeem Inayatullah, Syracuse University
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4 - The sovereign state system as political-territorial ideal: historical and contemporary considerations
pp 81-120
- By Alexander B. Murphy, University of Oregon
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5 - Sovereignty and the nation: constructing the boundaries of national identity
pp 121-147
- By Roxanne Lynn Doty, Arizona State University
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6 - Sovereignty, nationalism, and regional order in the Arab states system
pp 148-189
- By Michael Barnett, University of Wisconsin in Madison
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7 - Binding sovereigns: authorities, structures, and geopolitics in Philadelphian systems
pp 190-239
- By Daniel Deudney, University of Pennsylvania
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8 - Hierarchy under anarchy: informal empire and the East German state
pp 240-277
- By Alexander Wendt, Yale University, Daniel Friedheim, Dartmouth Collage
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9 - Reconstructing the analysis of sovereignty: concluding reflections and directions for future research
pp 278-286
- By Cynthia Weber, Purdue University, Thomas J. Biersteker, Political Science at Brown University
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Index
pp 287-298
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Titles in the series
pp 299-301
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State Sovereignty as Social Construct

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi

Contents
pp vii-viii

List of figures
pp ix-ix

List of contributors
pp x-xi

Acknowledgments
pp xii-xiv

1 - The social construction of state sovereignty
pp 1-21

2 - Contested sovereignty: the social construction of colonial imperialism
pp 22-49

3 - Beyond the sovereignty dilemma: quasi-states as social construct
pp 50-80

4 - The sovereign state system as political-territorial ideal: historical and contemporary considerations
pp 81-120

5 - Sovereignty and the nation: constructing the boundaries of national identity
pp 121-147

6 - Sovereignty, nationalism, and regional order in the Arab states system
pp 148-189

7 - Binding sovereigns: authorities, structures, and geopolitics in Philadelphian systems
pp 190-239

8 - Hierarchy under anarchy: informal empire and the East German state
pp 240-277

9 - Reconstructing the analysis of sovereignty: concluding reflections and directions for future research
pp 278-286

Index
pp 287-298

Titles in the series
pp 299-301

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Accessibility standard: Unknown

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State Sovereignty as Social Construct

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