Variations on Sovereignty: Contestations and Transformations from around the World

The edited book explores diverse contestations and transformations of sovereignty around the world, emphasizing how the inherent ambiguities, tensions, and contestations in scholarship and practice spark its manifold transformations. It offers three theoretical chapters that examine the illusions, contradictions, transformation, and lasting appeal of sovereignty and the nation-state, and 11 empirical chapters that highlight its role in different contexts around the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 24 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Sovereignty, a central concept in modern political thought and practice, is both contested and transformative. Depending on the context and perspective, it can be perceived as omnipresent or elusive, liberating or oppressive, fading or resilient. While sovereignty has been expected to wane in recent decades, it is now back on the agenda as variations on a concept and institution that are constantly contested and evolving.

This edited book brings together perspectives from various disciplines, including International Relations (IR), political theory, geography, law, and anthropology, to explore the diverse contestations and transformations of sovereignty around the world. It goes beyond debates over the resilience or decline of sovereignty to emphasize how the inherent ambiguities, tensions, and contestations in scholarship and practice spark sovereigntys manifold transformations.

The book offers three theoretical chapters that examine the illusions, contradictions, transformation, and lasting appeal of sovereignty and the nation-state. These chapters explore the ways in which sovereignty is perceived, constructed, and contested, and how it continues to shape political and social relationships.

In 11 empirical chapters, the book explores sovereignty from various disciplinary perspectives. These chapters highlight the role of sovereignty in different contexts around the world, from the European Union (EU) to the South China Sea, to Western Sahara and Palestine. The chapters problematize the interplay between theory and practice of statehood and sovereignty, as in the perception of Northern Cyprus as a 'fake state,' scholars' promotion of Kurdish 'statehood in Iraq, and studies affirming the 'Islamic State.'

This book will be of much interest to students of statehood, sovereignty, conflict studies, and International Relations. It provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary analysis of a complex and evolving concept that continues to shape our understanding of politics and international relations.

Weight: 775g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032262796