Debating Worlds: Contested Narratives of Global Modernity and World Order

The dominant narrative of the West has waned, giving rise to a new plurality of narratives. These narratives combine stories of the past with understandings of the present and attractive visions of the future. Debating Worlds is an essential volume for scholars of international relations, covering the most influential narratives shaping world politics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The last decade of the twentieth century marked a significant period in the quest for modernity, as it seemed that the great questions of the time had finally found answers. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the global spread of communism left the liberal democratic capitalist project as the sole remaining contender, and in the 1990s, the liberal ideal gained widespread popularity across the world. However, today, this universalistic narrative has lost its luster. The global distribution of power has undergone a significant shift, and the West's preeminence is gradually receding as new directions for world order emerge.

One of the most notable developments is China's rapid ascent as a peer competitor to the United States. With its powerful global narrative of grievance and revision, China is reshaping regional political order and geopolitical alignments. Political Islam has also burst onto the global scene as a multifaceted transnational movement, challenging existing power structures and reconfiguring regional political order.

In addition to these geopolitical shifts, climate change has brought about new narratives of global endangerment and dystopia. The rapid advance of this phenomenon has led to fragmentation and contestation in debates over world order. In Debating Worlds, a collection of essays by eminent scholars in the field, Daniel Deudney, G. John Ikenberry, and Karoline Postel-Vinay explore the various ways in which the West's dominant narrative has waned and a new plurality of narratives has emerged.

The contributors to this book analyze these narratives in depth, focusing on their key features, origins, and implications for world order. The narratives presented are a diverse mix of components, ranging from regional and civilizational stories to those that cast themselves as globally expansive and universally ambitious. Some narratives are focused on specific regions or civilizations, while others aim to address global issues such as poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation.

One of the most striking features of these narratives is their ability to combine stories of the past with understandings of the present and attractive visions of the future. The contributors use historical analysis, social science research, and political theory to shed light on the origins and development of these narratives. They also explore the ways in which these narratives are shaping global politics, culture, and society.

The narratives prominent on the world stage are a volatile mix of components, but they also differ in scope. Some are regional and civilizational without global aspirations, while others cast themselves as globally expansive and universally ambitious. Regardless of their scope, these narratives have the potential to reshape the way we think about the world and the role of the West in shaping it.

In conclusion, the last decade of the twentieth century marked a period of significant change in the quest for modernity. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the global spread of communism left the liberal democratic capitalist project as the sole remaining contender, and in the 1990s, the liberal ideal gained widespread popularity across the world. However, today, the global distribution of power has shifted, and the West's preeminence is gradually receding as new directions for world order emerge. China's rapid ascent as a peer competitor to the United States, Political Islam's transnational movement, and climate change's narratives of global endangerment and dystopia have all contributed to this shift. In Debating Worlds, a collection of essays by eminent scholars in the field, we explore the various ways in which the West's dominant narrative has waned and a new plurality of narratives has emerged. These narratives combine stories of the past with understandings of the present and attractive visions of the future, and they have the potential to reshape the way we think about the world and the role of the West in shaping it.

Weight: 422g
Dimension: 156 x 237 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197679319