Territoriality and beyond: problematizing modernity in international relations
1993/01/01 by John Gerard Ruggie · 2,670 citations
Social Sciences · #Dimension (graph theory) #European Union Policy and Governance #Global Peace and Security Dynamics #International Relations and Foreign Policy #International relations #Law #Modernity #Political economy #Political science #Politics #Polity #Postmodernity #Sociology #Territoriality
paper · doi:10.1017/s0020818300004732
published in International Organization 47(1), 139-174 (University of Cambridge)
openalex publication_date 1993/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract
The concept of territoriality has been studied surprisingly little by students of international politics. Yet, territoriality most distinctively defines modernity in international politics, and changes in few other factors can so powerfully transform the modern world polity. This article seeks to frame the study of the possible transformation of modern territoriality by examining how that system of relations was instituted in the first place. The historical analysis suggests that “unbundled” territoriality is a useful terrain for exploring the condition of postmodernity in international politics and suggests some ways in which that exploration might proceed. The emergence of multiperspectival institutional forms is identified as a key dimension of the condition of postmodernity in international politics.
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