International Civil Society - Social Movements In World Politics

This book provides a critical survey of recent approaches to the study of civil society and international relations, presenting an alternative historical and sociological account of the interaction between these two spheres. It makes a theoretical case for the importance of social movements in world politics arguing that modern social movements emerging out of civil society have been instrumental in shaping the contemporary international system.

In this wide-ranging engagement with past and present controversies in international relations, Colás shows how a renewed conception of international civil society can illuminate future possibilities for international social movement activity.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, political sociology and social history, as well as those who seek to play a part in global politics.

Alejandro Colás is a Lecturer in International Relations at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Chapter One: Introduction.

Non-state Actors in International Relations.

Chapter Two: Civil Society.

The Challenge of the International.

Chapter Three: Agencies and Structures in IR.

Analysing International Social Movements.

Chapter Four: International Society From Below.

The Role of Civil Society in International Relations.

Chapter Five: The Promises of International Civil Society.

Global Governance, Cosmopolitan Democracy and the End of Sovereignty?.

Conclusions: The Uses of International Civil Society.

Bibliography.

Notes.

Index