Routledge Series on Challenges, Crises and Civilizations in World Politics

This new series focuses on major issues and developments that have surfaced in recent years, and which flag out the fragmentation of the post-1945 and post-Cold War global order. They highlight the emergence of radical uncertainty everywhere, distrust in the liberal international institutional system, growing dissent regarding the established social contract in all political systems as well as the increase of civilizational narratives.

We are particularly interested in book proposals that explore these changes in world politics and expand our current understanding of global order. We are open to a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches including critical and postmodern studies and further relate to following themes:

• The Interregnum and lack of leadership – The fragmentation of power relations in world politics as well as the growing distrust in existing (liberal) international institutions shapes the interregnum of international order and the growing acceptance of new imperial discourses and practices. Can a common foundation of values and norms emerge out of this? Or are we facing a world with fewer shared norms and values structuring different regions or blocs?
• Rising tension between autonomy and dependency – The post-Cold War notion of interdependence as a stabilizing factor of international relations is challenged by the growing demand for national autonomy from states and citizens alike. While developing strategies aimed at increased autonomy, governments are also reorganizing their dependencies. Hence a new relationship between autonomy and dependency that impacts the space of international politics. A new spatial configuration is emerging around spheres of influence of different shapes and scales, notably through the control of major powers over digital, financial or transportation infrastructures, or supply and value chains. What are the conceptual challenges deriving from this new relation between power and space? And from a policy perspective, what are the consequences for regional and global governance?
• Transnational populism and the expansion of radicalism – the reaffirmation of local or particular identities in response to perceived challenges of globalization has moved from the fringe to the center of political landscapes globally. This transformation entails a general loss of confidence in the basic mechanisms that bring together communities at various levels, starting with the social contract of national societies. Borders as spaces of encounter, negotiation, and norms and rules-making, are being fundamentally contested and redefined. How deeply have these trends damage the prospect of a still needed global governance, sustained by a framework of shared assumptions and common interests?
• Fragmentation of the international society space – the questioning of the idea of a unitary global political space goes in par with a call for re-regionalization along civilizational lines. The emergence of civilizational narratives has so far been linked to new expressions of power by illiberal or authoritarian regimes. Should they be analyzed as mere contestations of the international liberal order narrative or do they actually (re)open a discussion about international society that goes beyond that narrative? And if so, could they point to ways of escaping the West/non-West dichotomy, allowing for a novel understanding of global politics?

 

If you have an idea for a new book in this series, please send a written proposal to the Series Editors:

Karoline Postel-Vinay karoline.postelvinay@sciencespo.fr

Nadine Godehardt nadine.godehardt@swp-berlin.org

For guidance on how to structure your proposal, please visit: www.routledge.com/info/authors