Foucault and the Modern International

"This volume is a sophisticated endeavour by leading scholars to gauge the importance of Michel Foucault for the study of international relations. It offers an exciting pluralization of both Foucault and IR studies." (Jens Bartelson, Professor of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden) "With remarkable nuance and sophistication, this volume addresses the many interpretations of Foucault and his impact on the study of international relations. A needed contribution diversifying both how Foucault and the international realm should be understood and studied!" (Nisha Shah, Assistant Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada) "There will never be the last word on Foucault but by virtue of authorial aptitude, pluralist attitudes and intellectual audacity, Foucault and the Modern International might well be the most comprehensive and subversive account yet. Trans-Atlantic and trans-disciplinary, this collection of essays rejects the domesticated Foucault to relight the fuse of a philosopher who was, above all else, a peerless artificier of the 'international'. The results are nothing short of explosive." (James Der Derian, Michael Hintze Chair of International Security, University of Sydney, Australia)

This transdisciplinary volume will serve as a reference for both scholars and students of international relations, international political sociology, international political economy, political theory/philosophy and critical theory more generally.

This book addresses the possibilities of analyzing the modern international through the thought of Michel Foucault. The broad range of authors brought together in this volume question four of the most self-evident characteristics of our contemporary world-'international', 'neoliberal', 'biopolitical' and 'global'- and thus fill significant gaps in both international and Foucault studies. The chapters discuss what a Foucauldian perspective does or does not offer for understanding international phenomena while also questioning many appropriations of Foucault's work. This transdisciplinary volume will serve as a reference for both scholars and students of international relations, international political sociology, international political economy, political theory/philosophy and critical theory more generally.