New medievalism

New medievalism

New medievalism is a term used by Hedley Bull in The Anarchical Society to describe the erosion of state sovereignty in the contemporary globalised world. This has resulted in an international system which resembles the medieval one, where political authority was exercised by a range of non-territorial and overlapping agents, such as religious bodies, principalities, empires and city-states, instead of by a single political authority in the form of a state which has complete sovereignty over its territory.

Bull argues that the contemporary international system is evolving into one with multiple and overlapping sources of power. Processes characterising this "new medievalism" include the increasing powers held by regional organisations such as the European Union, as well as the spread of sub-national and devolved governments, such as those of Scotland and Catalonia. These challenge the exclusive authority of the state. Private military companies, multinational corporations and the resurgence of worldwide religious movements (e.g. Political Islam) similarly indicate a reduction in the role of the state and a decentralisation of power and authority.

More recently, Anthony Clark Arend argues in his 1999 book,Legal Rules and International Society, that the international system is moving toward a "neo-medieval" system. He claims that the trends that Bull noted in 1977 had become even more pronounced by the end of the Twentieth Century. Arend argues that the emergence of a "neo-medieval" system would have profound implications for the creation and operation of international law.

See also

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Medievalism — For the interdisciplinary study of the medieval period, see Medieval studies. The Middle Ages in Romanticism: Pre Raphaelite painting of a knight and a lady (Lamia by John William Waterhouse, 1905). Medievalism is the system of belief and… …   Wikipedia

  • Ockham’s world and future — Arthur Gibson PHILOSOPHICAL BIOGRAPHY Ockham was born in about 1285, certainly before 1290, probably in the village of Ockham, Surrey, near London. If his epitaph is accurate, he died on 10 April 1347. Yet Conrad of Megenberg, when writing to… …   History of philosophy

  • K. A. Laity — K.A. Laity, Ph.D. is a Finnish American medievalist and award winningFact|date=August 2007 author, noted for the novel Pelzmantel: A Medieval Tale ISBN 978 1892718464 as well as numerous short stories, plays and scholarly essays.Career overviewA… …   Wikipedia

  • Hedley Bull — (June 10,1932 ndash; May 18, 1985) was Professor of International Relations at the Australian National University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Oxford until his death in 1985. The Anarchical Society (1977) is his main… …   Wikipedia

  • The Anarchical Society — Infobox Book name = The Anarchical Society image caption = Third edition cover author = Hedley Bull illustrator = cover artist = country = United States language = English series = subject = International relations publisher = Columbia University …   Wikipedia

  • Dark Ages (historiography) — Petrarch, who conceived the idea of a European Dark Age . From Cycle of Famous Men and Women, Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla, c. 1450 Dark Ages is a historical periodization emphasizing the cultural and economic deterioration that supposedly… …   Wikipedia

  • Leslie J. Workman — (* 5. März 1927 in Hanwell, London, England; † 1. April 2001 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA) war ein Privatgelehrter und Gründer des akademischen Mediävalismus. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werk 3 Publikationen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Middle Ages in film — Medieval films imagine and portray the Middle Ages through the visual, audio and thematic forms of cinema. Contents 1 Background 2 Historiography and Historiophoty 3 Select films 4 …   Wikipedia

  • Gothic Architecture — • History of the style Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Gothic Architecture     Gothic Architecture     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • List of common misconceptions — This incomplete list is not intended to be exhaustive. This is a list of current, widely held, false ideas and beliefs about notable topics which have been reported by reliable sources from around the world. Each has been discussed in published… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”