The Transformation of Political Community
Ethical Foundations of the Post-Westphalian Era

Andrew Linklater

Argues for a new standard for political community in the changing world order

6 x 9, 269 pages
cloth, ISBN 1-57003-257-2, $39.95s
paper, ISBN 1-57003-258-0, $19.95s

Studies in International Relations, Charles W. Kegley, Jr., and Donald J. Puchala, series editor
For sale in the United States, its dependencies, and Canada.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sovereign nation states, which were formed in the context of major war, have been deeply exclusionary in their dealings with minority cultures and alien outsiders. In this volume, Andrew Linklater contends that globalization, the pacification of core areas of the world economy, and ethnic revolt challenge these traditional practices. As a result, new forms of political community and citizenship have become possible.

In an original synthesis of recent developments in social and political theory, The Transformation of Political Community argues for new forms of political community that are cosmopolitan, sensitive to cultural differences, and committed to reducing material inequalities. The book provides a bold account of post-Westphalian societies and the ethical principles that should inform their external relations. Linklater argues for political communities in which human relations are governed by dialogue and consent rather than power and force. The Transformation of Political Community will be of interest to students and academics in international relations, politics, and sociology.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Linklater is a professor of international relations at Keele University in England.