Theorizing World Orders
Cognitive Evolution and Beyond

Breaks new theoretical ground by discussing how cognitive evolution contributes to the study of international orders.

Piki Ish-Shalom (Edited by), Markus Kornprobst (Edited by), Vincent Pouliot (Edited by)

9781316512289, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 November 2021

280 pages, 2 tables
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.56 kg

This is a volume that only Emanuel Adler could inspire.  One of the unheralded effects of Adler's distinguish career has been his ability to provoke, challenge, and energize those near and far to push the limits of their thinking and see a world filled with the patterns and contingencies.   This remarkable collection of essays is much more than a festshrift.  It shows how Adler's work, and his masterpiece, World Ordering, continue to plant the seeds for the wondrously unexpected. Michael Barnett, University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science, George Washington University

We need new analytical tools to understand the turbulent times in which we live, and identify the directions in which international politics will evolve. This volume discusses how engaging with Emanuel Adler's social theory of cognitive evolution could potentially achieve these objectives. Eminent scholars of International Relations explore various aspects of Adler's theory, evaluating its potential contributions to the study of world orders and IR theory more generally. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the social theory of cognitive evolution, such as power, morality, materiality, narratives, and practices, and identifies new theoretical vistas that help break new ground in International Relations. In the concluding chapter, Adler responds, engaging in a rich dialogue with the contributors. This volume will appeal to scholars and advanced students of International Relations theory, especially evolutionary and constructivist approaches.

Preface
List of tables
1. Cognitive evolution and world ordering: opening new vistas Vincent Pouliot, Markus Kornprobst and Piki Ish-Shalom
2. Power in communitarian evolution Stefano Guzzini
3. In consideration of evolving matters: a new materialist addition to Emanuel Adler's cognitive evolution Alena Drieschova
4. The phenomenology of cognitive evolution Simon Frankel Pratt
5. Narratives in cognitive evolution: the importance of discourse in meaning-making processes Maïka Sondarjee
6. Cognitive evolution and the social construction of complexity Peter M. Haas
7. Refugees and their allies as agents of progress: knowledge and power in forbidden boundary regions Beverly Crawford
8. Holding the middle ground: cognitive evolution and progress Christian Reus-Smit
9. Conclusion: on world ordering's new vistas and a rough sketch of cognitive evolution's theory of politics Emanuel Adler.

Subject Areas: International organisations & institutions [LBBU], International relations [JPS], Psychology [JM]