De-Centering State Making: Comparative and International Perspectives

State making has long been regarded as a European development, both historically and geographically. In this innovative book, the authors add fresh insights into the nature and causes of state making by de-centering this Eurocentric viewpoint through simultaneous changes of conceptual, theoretical and empirical focus. De-Centering State Making combines knowledge from comparative politics and international relations, creating a more holistic perspective that moves away from the widespread idea that state making and war are intrinsically linked. The book uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine historical and contemporary cases of state making as well as non-European ones, providing an in-depth analysis of the nature and causes of state making, historically as well as in a modern, global environment. This timely book is an invaluable read for international relations and comparative politics scholars. It will also greatly benefit those teaching advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on state making as it provides a fresh take on the art of state making in a modern world. Contributors include: J. Bartelson, A. Björkdahl, C. Butcher, A. Goenaga, R. Griffiths, J. Grzybowski, M. Hall, J.K. Hanson, A. Learoyd, E. Ravndal, T. Svensson, J. Teorell, A. von Hagen-Jamar

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. Introduction: De-Centering State Making Jens Bartelson, Martin Hall and Jan Teorell Part I: What makes a state? 2. Steppe State Making Martin Hall 3. De-Centering Federal Origins: India and the Contested Appropriation of Federal Democracy Ted Svensson 4. The Current Developing State Jonathan K. Hanson Part II: What states does war make? 5. When Does War Make States? War, Rivalries and Fiscal Extraction in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Agustín Goenaga and Alexander von Hagen-Jamar 6. War and Variation in the Structure of Historical International Systems: A Theoretical Model Charles Butcher and Ryan Griffiths 7. Imagined States and Clashing State-building Processes in the Bosnian Space Annika Björkdahl Part III: State making and international society 8. Configurations of Semi-Sovereignty in the Long-Nineteenth Century Arthur Learoyd 9. Acting Like a State: Non-European Membership of International Organisations in the Nineteenth Century Ellen Ravndal Part IV: Conclusion 10. Concentric Circles: Aporias of De-Centering State Making in Time and Space Janis Grzybowski 11. After De-Centering: A New Research Agenda for State Making Jens Bartelson and Jan Teorell Index

About the Author :
Edited by Jens Bartelson, Martin Hall and Jan Teorell, Department of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden

Review :
'Though the emergence and evolution of state sovereignty is a central concern for the discipline of international relations, until recently there were very few studies that explored this phenomenon outside of Europe in a comparative manner. De-Centering State Making more than fills this gap. This expertly edited volume brings together an impressive array of contributors to advance our understanding of modern state making around the world to a whole other level.' --Ayse Zarakol, University of Cambridge, UK