Demonstrates the continued vital importance of feminism - conceptually and theoretically, methodologically and politically - to the development of animal studies; and to critical scholarship more broadly Presents a range of new and innovative contributions to theoretical debates in contemporary social sciences in the areas of gender, species and the relations of these to and other formations of social difference, such as sexuality, ethnicity and embodiment. Showcase a range of cutting edge, international scholarship in feminist animal studies, which includes both established and emerging scholars and activist contributions

Demonstrates the continued vital importance of feminism - conceptually and theoretically, methodologically and politically - to the development of animal studies; and to critical scholarship more broadly Presents a range of new and innovative contributions to theoretical debates in contemporary social sciences in the areas of gender, species and the relations of these to and other formations of social difference, such as sexuality, ethnicity and embodiment. Showcase a range of cutting edge, international scholarship in feminist animal studies, which includes both established and emerging scholars and activist contributions

This is the first book to make the argument for an emancipatory project from within a posthuman framework. Responding to critics, Cudworth and Hobden argue that while some posthumanisms may be less critical, it is possible to develop a political programme from a posthuman perspective. Cudworth and Hobden develop such issues by addressing the following questions: How have ideas about emancipation been developed, and does the notion of emancipation still hold relevance for the contemporary world order? Is it possible to have a non-Utopian form of emancipation? What are the implications of differing posthuman/new materialist viewpoints for an emancipatory project? In a world typified by complexity, how is it possible to pursue political projects? The chapters consider various interpretations of the term 'emancipation', looking at work that has appeared within the posthumanist framework such as Bruno Latour, William Connolly, and Jane Bennett. The authors develop their own account of posthumanism, demonstrating how it avoids the problems that have been found within this framework, and considering the possibilities for emancipatory projects and public policy. It will be of great interest to postgraduates and scholars of International Relations, Political Theory, Environmental Studies, and Sociology.

Posthumanism represents a significant new research direction both for International Relations and the social sciences. It emerges from questions about inter-species relations which challenge dominant perceptions of what it means to be human. Rather than seeing the human species as 'in nature' posthumanist thinking considers the species as 'of nature'. The work of posthumanist thinkers has sought to dispute accepted notions of what it means to be human, raising profound questions about our relations with the rest of nature. The volume commences with an overview of the influence thinkers have had on the development of posthumanist thinking. Key ideas in International Relations are interrogated and reconceptualised and specific case studies are presented with a focus on inter-species relations. The work allows for a consideration of the limits of the posthumanist move and provides space for critics to argue that such an approach opens the discipline up to a biological determinism, and that a focus on inter-human relations should mark the boundaries of the discipline. The essays collected in this volume provide an overview of contributions from posthumanist thinkers with the particular intention of providing a succinct introduction to the area and should appeal to scholars and students in Politics, IR and philosophy.

Posthumanism represents a significant new research direction both for International Relations and the social sciences. It emerges from questions about inter-species relations which challenge dominant perceptions of what it means to be human. Rather than seeing the human species as 'in nature' posthumanist thinking considers the species as 'of nature'. The work of posthumanist thinkers has sought to dispute accepted notions of what it means to be human, raising profound questions about our relations with the rest of nature. The volume commences with an overview of the influence thinkers have had on the development of posthumanist thinking. Key ideas in International Relations are interrogated and reconceptualised and specific case studies are presented with a focus on inter-species relations. The work allows for a consideration of the limits of the posthumanist move and provides space for critics to argue that such an approach opens the discipline up to a biological determinism, and that a focus on inter-human relations should mark the boundaries of the discipline. The essays collected in this volume provide an overview of contributions from posthumanist thinkers with the particular intention of providing a succinct introduction to the area and should appeal to scholars and students in Politics, IR and philosophy.

At the start of the 21st century, it can be argued that human societies have a greater impact on the environment than ever before. We have always been dependent upon, and interacted with, the 'natural' environment. However, the dramatic social changes of the past three centuries, have altered the form of our relationship with non-human nature to the extent that some would see people/planet relations as in a situation of crisis.
Environment and Society provides a comprehensive and critical account of the ways in which we can think about the relationship between human societies and the environments with which they interact. It argues that human societies are ecologically embedded, and that environments are often socially embedded and constituted. It makes the different theoretical positions and empirical studies accessible to students, and includes chapter outlines and summaries, annotated further reading, boxed case studies and discussion points.

This is the first book to make the argument for an emancipatory project from within a posthuman framework. Responding to critics, Cudworth and Hobden argue that while some posthumanisms may be less critical, it is possible to develop a political programme from a posthuman perspective. Cudworth and Hobden develop such issues by addressing the following questions: How have ideas about emancipation been developed, and does the notion of emancipation still hold relevance for the contemporary world order? Is it possible to have a non-Utopian form of emancipation? What are the implications of differing posthuman/new materialist viewpoints for an emancipatory project? In a world typified by complexity, how is it possible to pursue political projects? The chapters consider various interpretations of the term 'emancipation', looking at work that has appeared within the posthumanist framework such as Bruno Latour, William Connolly, and Jane Bennett. The authors develop their own account of posthumanism, demonstrating how it avoids the problems that have been found within this framework, and considering the possibilities for emancipatory projects and public policy. It will be of great interest to postgraduates and scholars of International Relations, Political Theory, Environmental Studies, and Sociology.

Broad ranging in its coverage of the liberal democratic state and other, non-democratic state formations, the book offers chapters on each of the core theories of the modern state. Each chapter is structured in the same way to allow for ease of cross-referencing and for comparisons to be drawn between theories, with parts on Context, Definition, Theorists and Practical Politics. There are chapters on:

-The Emergence of the Modern State
-Liberalism
-Elite Theories
-Marxism
-Socialism
-Anarchism
-Conservatism
-Fascism
-Feminisms
-The New Right
-Fundamentalism
-Futures

The authors work on the premise that theory is relevant to everyday life, helping us to understand current political transitions and institutional formations and practices. Taking a practical view of politics, each chapter illustrates how state theory has been deployed in recent historical contexts and policy initiatives, using examples to bring the theory to life.

Key Features:

Unique in considering the liberal democratic state and other, non-democratic state formations

Includes a wide range of examples, such as Marxist states in Eastern Europe and non-secular, militarist and emergent democratic states in the developing world

Covers a wide theoretical range and includes less well-known ideas and approaches such as those of fundamentalism, fascism and anarchism

Shows how different theories of the state have affected the framing and implementation of policies, or the history of political parties and movements

Broad ranging in its coverage of the liberal democratic state and other, non-democratic state formations, the book offers chapters on each of the core theories of the modern state. Each chapter is structured in the same way to allow for ease of cross-referencing and for comparisons to be drawn between theories, with parts on Context, Definition, Theorists and Practical Politics. There are chapters on:

-The Emergence of the Modern State
-Liberalism
-Elite Theories
-Marxism
-Socialism
-Anarchism
-Conservatism
-Fascism
-Feminisms
-The New Right
-Fundamentalism
-Futures

The authors work on the premise that theory is relevant to everyday life, helping us to understand current political transitions and institutional formations and practices. Taking a practical view of politics, each chapter illustrates how state theory has been deployed in recent historical contexts and policy initiatives, using examples to bring the theory to life.

Key Features:

Unique in considering the liberal democratic state and other, non-democratic state formations

Includes a wide range of examples, such as Marxist states in Eastern Europe and non-secular, militarist and emergent democratic states in the developing world

Covers a wide theoretical range and includes less well-known ideas and approaches such as those of fundamentalism, fascism and anarchism

Shows how different theories of the state have affected the framing and implementation of policies, or the history of political parties and movements

In this bold intervention, Cudworth and Hobden draw on recent advances in thinking about complexity theory to call for a profound re-envisioning of the study of international relations. As a discipline, IR is wedded to the enlightenment project of overcoming the "hazards" of nature, and thus remains constrained by its blinkered "human-centered" approach. Furthermore, as a means of predicting major global-political events and trends, it has failed consistently. Instead, the authors argue, it is essential we develop a much more nuanced and sophisticated analysis of global political systems, taking into account broader environmental circumstances, as well as social relations, economic practices and formations of political power. Essentially, the book reveals how the study of international politics is transformed by the understanding that we have never been exclusively human. An original work that is sure to provoke heated debate within the discipline, "Posthuman International Relations" combines insights from complexity theory and ecological thinking to provide a radical new agenda for a progressive, twenty-first century, International Relations.

Over the last 250 years, the global capitalist system has been responsible for rapid economic growth and technological change. The consequent increase in production of an ever-changing and expanding range of products and services has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and deprivation. This book suggests, however, that the primary purpose of current production and distribution is not to satisfy human needs but to create profit for the owners of capital that in turn has devastating consequences for the environment and for vulnerable people. Multidisciplinary in perspective, contributors to this volume addresses issues of inequality which affect both developed and developing countries. While they are concerned with the framework of income distribution they also explore the wider dynamics of capitalist systems of production and consumption and examine the dimensions of inequality from both an economic and socio/cultural perspective. The book has three key themes: relations between technologies, inequalities and exploitation; issues surrounding technologies and development; and the nature of technologies and their associated opportunities in the face of the future. That future is contested, and in the present context of persistent inequalities, a debate about where we might be going and how we might get there is crucial. This book makes a trenchant and challenging contribution to this debate.

In this bold intervention, Cudworth and Hobden draw on recent advances in thinking about complexity theory to call for a profound re-envisioning of the study of international relations. As a discipline, IR is wedded to the enlightenment project of overcoming the "hazards" of nature, and thus remains constrained by its blinkered "human-centered" approach. Furthermore, as a means of predicting major global-political events and trends, it has failed consistently. Instead, the authors argue, it is essential we develop a much more nuanced and sophisticated analysis of global political systems, taking into account broader environmental circumstances, as well as social relations, economic practices, and formations of political power. Essentially, the book reveals how the study of international politics is transformed by the understanding that we have never been exclusively human.
An original work that is sure to provoke heated debate within the discipline, Posthuman International Relations combines insights from complexity theory and ecological thinking to provide a radical new agenda for a progressive, twenty-first century International Relations.

Building upon anarchist critiques of racism, sexism, ableism and classism, this collection of new essays melds anarchism with animal advocacy in arguing that speciesism is an ideological and social norm rooted in hierarchy and inequality. Rising from the anarchist-influenced Occupy Movement, this book brings together international scholars and activists from the fields of anarchist and critical animal studies. The contributors challenge activists and academics to look more critically into the causes of speciesism and to take a broader view of peace, social justice and the nature of oppression. Animal advocates have long argued that speciesism will end if the humanity adopts a vegan ethic. This concept is developed into the argument that the vegan ethic promises the most change if it is also anti-capitalist and against all forms of domination.

Over the last 250 years, the global capitalist system has been responsible for rapid economic growth and technological change. The consequent increase in production of an ever-changing and expanding range of products and services has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and deprivation. This book suggests, however, that the primary purpose of current production and distribution is not to satisfy human needs but to create profit for the owners of capital that in turn has devastating consequences for the environment and for vulnerable people. Multidisciplinary in perspective, contributors to this volume addresses issues of inequality which affect both developed and developing countries. While they are concerned with the framework of income distribution they also explore the wider dynamics of capitalist systems of production and consumption and examine the dimensions of inequality from both an economic and socio/cultural perspective. The book has three key themes: relations between technologies, inequalities and exploitation; issues surrounding technologies and development; and the nature of technologies and their associated opportunities in the face of the future. That future is contested, and in the present context of persistent inequalities, a debate about where we might be going and how we might get there is crucial. This book makes a trenchant and challenging contribution to this debate.

At the start of the twenty-first century, it can be argued that human societies have a greater impact on the environment than ever before. We have always been dependent upon, and interacted with, the 'natural' environment. However, the dramatic social changes of the past three centuries, have altered the form of our relationship with non-human nature to the extent that some would see people/planet relations as in a situation of crisis.
Environment and Society provides a comprehensive and critical account of the ways in which we can think about the relationship between human societies and the environments with which they interact. It argues that human societies are ecologically embedded, and that environments are often socially embedded and constituted. It makes the different theoretical positions and empirical studies accessible to students, and includes chapter outlines and summaries, annotated further reading, boxed case-studies and discussion points.