The Political Discourse of Anarchy (Paperback)

A disciplinary history of the field of international relations from its emergence in the mid-1800s until the outbreak of World War II.

CHOICE 1997 Outstanding Academic Books

This detailed disciplinary history of the field of international relations examines its early emergence in the mid-nineteenth century to the period beginning with the outbreak of World War II. It demonstrates that many of the commonly held assumptions about the field's early history are incorrect, such as the presumed dichotomy between idealist and realist periods. By showing how the concepts of sovereignty and anarchy have served as the core constituent principles throughout the history of the discipline, and how earlier discourse is relevant to the contemporary study of war and peace, international security, international organization, international governance, and international law, the book contributes significantly to current debates about the identity of the international relations field and political science more generally.

Brian C. Schmidt is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Prior to that, he was Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York.