(Re)thinking the state in the 21st century

Vodovnik, Žiga (author)

In this article, we argue that social sciences generally and political science in particular are faced with a peculiar epistemological challenge while researching the state in the 21st century. Namely, the state has often been either naturalised, seen as a static and ahistorical entity resistant to changes in the environment, or naïvely rejected as a form of political organisation that is with neoliberal globalisation withering away. In either instance, the processes of redefining and redistributing of the state, and hence its de-/reterritorialising and rescaling, have largely gone unnoticed. Our analysis reassesses the hegemonic theories of state and shows that in the mainstream of political science research on the state is still anchored to the (geographical) assumptions that limit or even define the state and its exercise of power to a geographically demarcated and fixed territory. Drawing on recent approaches to space, scale and territory, this article calls for a heterodox and pluralist methodology in further research on state as well as non-state spaces

• Language: English
• Keywords: non-state spaces, globalisation, political geography, territory
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication date: 30.06.2021
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 249-267, 488
• Numbering: Letn. 58, št. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-138774
• UDC: 321.01
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• DOI: 10.51936/tip.58.2.249-267
• COBISS.SI-ID: 70542083
• Publication date in RUL: 17.08.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: (Pre)misliti državo v 21. stoletju

Abstract

V članku trdimo, da se družboslovje na splošno in še posebej politologija srečujeta s svojevrstnim epistemološkim izzivom pri raziskovanju države v 21. stoletju. Država je namreč bila pogosto naturalizirana, razumljena kot statična in ahistorična entiteta, ki je odporna na spremembe v okolju, ali pa je bila naivno zavrnjena kot oblika politične organizacije, ki z neoliberalno globalizacijo vene. V obeh primerih so procesi redefiniranja in redistribuiranja države, s tem pa njene de-/reteritorizacije in prostorskega prestrukturiranja, v glavnem ostali neopaženi. V obravnavi hegemonskih teorij države pokažemo, da v politični znanosti raziskovanja države še vedno temeljijo na (geografskih) predpostavkah, ki državo omejujejo ali celo opredeljujejo kot geografsko razmejeno in nespremenljivo ozemlje. Na podlagi aktualnih pristopov v raziskovanju prostora, obsega in teritorija, kličemo k heterodoksni in pluralistični metodologiji v nadaljnjem proučevanju države kot tudi nedržavnih prostorov

• Keywords: nedržavni prostori, globalizacija, politična geografija, ozemlje