Description
Book SynopsisThe 21st century has been characterized by great turbulence, climate change, a global pandemic, and democratic decay. Drawing on post-structural political theory, this book explores two dominant concepts used to make sense of our disturbed reality: the state and the network. The book explains how they are inextricably interwoven, while showing why they complicate the way we interpret our present. In seeking a better understanding of today’s world, this book argues that we need to pull apart the familiar lines of our maps. By looking beneath and across these lines, an ‘unmapping’ presents new insights and opportunities for a better future.
Trade Review"Michelsen and Bolt’s argument casts a new light on our perception of politics and world order through time and space, and the book certainly deserves close attention." Aleksandra Spalińska, University of Warsaw, Poland for International Affairs
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Taking the Lines off the Map Chapter 2: A Great Unmapping Chapter 3: Capitalism and Imperialism Chapter 4: Thinking Like a State Chapter 5: Bureaucracy and Power Chapter 6: The Battle Swarm Chapter 7: Information and the State Chapter 8: Romance of Networks Chapter 9: Borders and Impermanence Conclusion