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The Global Transformation : Critical reflections on the historical sociology of the long nineteenth century
Author(s) -
Cooper Luke
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of historical sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.186
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-6443
pISSN - 0952-1909
DOI - 10.1111/johs.12159
Subject(s) - transformative learning , sociology , geopolitics , power (physics) , historical sociology , politics , george (robot) , public sphere , period (music) , epistemology , mode (computer interface) , social science , law , aesthetics , political science , history , philosophy , pedagogy , physics , operating system , quantum mechanics , computer science , art history
George Lawson and Barry Buzan's The Global Transformation advances the claim that International Relations (IR) has mistakenly overlooked the Long Nineteenth Century as a transformative era. They argue this period saw a shift in the mode of power, i.e. how power was utilised and expressed, and not merely a change in how it was distributed amongst competing political entities. The following offers a sympathetic critique of their theoretical claims. Highlighting the role of geopolitics and the societal changes of the public sphere, the article argues that the historical sociological method utilised by these authors is ‘neither realist nor liberal enough’.