Security, Identity and Interests: A Sociology of International Relations - Rilegato

McSweeney, Bill

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0521661773 ISBN 13: 9780521661775

Casa editrice: Cambridge University Press, 1999

Riassunto

Bill McSweeney addresses the central problem of international relations - security - and constructs a novel framework for its analysis. He argues for the unity of the interpersonal, societal and international levels of human behaviour and outlines a concept of security which more adequately reflects the complexity and ambiguity of the topic. This book introduces an alternative way of theorizing the international order, within which the idea of security takes on a broader range of meaning, inviting a more critical and interpretative approach to understanding the concept and formulating security policy. The recent shift to sociology in international relations theory has not as yet realized its critical potential for the study of security. Drawing on contemporary trends in social theory, Dr McSweeney argues that human agency and moral choice are inherent features of the construction of the social and thus international order, and hence of our conception of security and security policy.

Su questo libro

Descrizione del libro:

In this book, Bill McSweeney discusses the inadequacy of the scientific approach to security and criticizes the most recent attempts to surmount it. Drawing on contemporary trends in sociology, he develops a theory of the international order within which the idea of security takes on a broader range of meaning.

Contenuti:

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The meaning of security; Part I. Objectivist Approaches to International Security: 2. Early stages of development; 3. Broadening the concept of security; 4. Identity versus the state; Part II. Theorizing Security: the Turn to Sociology: 5. A conceptual discussion; 6. The social constructionist approach; 7. The limits of identity theory; 8. Agency and structure in social theory; 9. Seeing a different world: a reflexive sociology of security; Part III. Practising Security: 10. Doing security by stealth; 11. Conclusion: security and moral choice; Bibliography; Index.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Cambridge University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0521661773
• ISBN 13: 9780521661775
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 256