Protean Power
Exploring the Uncertain and Unexpected in World Politics

Inquires into the role of the unexpected in world politics by examining the protean power effects of agile innovation and improvisation.

Peter J. Katzenstein (Edited by), Lucia A. Seybert (Edited by)

9781108441254, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 January 2018

380 pages, 1 b/w illus. 5 tables
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.7 cm, 0.61 kg

'This important book expands not only our theories of power, but also our understanding of America's future in the world.' Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University, Massachusetts

Mainstream international relations continues to assume that the world is governed by calculable risk based on estimates of power. This ground-breaking work departs from existing definitions of power that focus on actors' evolving ability to exercise control in situations of calculable risk. Instead, it introduces the concept of 'protean power', which focuses on actors' agility as they adapt to situations of uncertainty. Twelve real world case studies are used to examine how the dynamics of protean and control power can be tracked in the relations among different state and non-state actors, operating in diverse sites, stretching from local to global, in both times of relative normalcy and moments of crisis. This volume argues for a new approach to IR, where the inclusion of protean power in our analytical models helps in accounting for unforeseen changes in world politics. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Part I. Theory and Evidence: 1. Protean power and control power: conceptual analysis Lucia A. Seybert and Peter J. Katzenstein
2. Uncertainty, risk, power and the limits of international relations theory Peter J. Katzenstein and Lucia A. Seybert
Part II. Protean Power: Embracing Uncertainty: 3. Protean power and revolutions in rights Christian Reus-Smit
4. Protean power in movement: navigating uncertainty in the LGBT rights revolution Phillip Ayoub
5. Border collision: power dynamics of enforcement and evasion across the US–Mexico line Noelle K. Brigden and Peter Andreas
6. High tech: power and unpredictability at the technological frontier and in Bitcoin Lucia A. Seybert and Peter J. Katzenstein
Part III. Mixed Worlds: Agility Meets Ability: 7. Firms in firmament: hydrocarbons and the circulation of power Rawi Abdelal
8. Incomplete control: the circulation of power in finance Erin Lockwood and Stephen Nelson
9. Terrorism and protean power: how terrorists navigate uncertainty Barak Mendelsohn
10. Slumdog versus Superman: uncertainty, innovation and the circulation of power in the global film industry Lucia A. Seybert, Stephen Nelson and Peter J. Katzenstein
Part IV. Protean Power between Risk and Uncertainty: 11. Changing history?: Innovation and continuity in contemporary arms control Jennifer Erickson
12. From Green to REDD: protean power and the politics of carbon sinks Jessica Green
Part V. Conclusion: 13. Power complexities and political theory Peter J. Katzenstein and Lucia A. Seybert.

Subject Areas: International institutions [JPSN], International relations [JPS], Politics & government [JP], Research methods: general [GPS]