State, territoriality, and sovereignty

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This chapter considers three concepts—state, territory, sovereignty—that are fundamental not only to the intersection of History and International Relations (IR) but also to IR theoretical debates. We track how the literature on these concepts has changed over time and discuss broad critiques and avenues for future research. We argue that state, territory, and sovereignty need to be studied as analytically distinct yet interrelated outcomes and processes. Key challenges for historical IR scholarship include overcoming a Eurocentric bias inherent in these concepts, how to apply contemporary concepts to earlier historical periods, and how—and whether—to draw lessons from history for contemporary politics. Finally, historical IR scholars could pay more attention to the important yet largely unexplored material dimensions of state, territory, and sovereignty.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of History and International Relations
EditorsMlada Bukovansky, Edward Keene, Christian Reus-Smit, Maja Spanu
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherOxford University Press Australia
Publication date2023
Pages173-187
Chapter12
ISBN (Print)9780198873457
ISBN (Electronic)9780191986468
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

ID: 387335085