Robinson WI - Social Theory and Globalization - The Rise of a Transnational State

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1、Socialtheoryandglobalization:TheriseofatransnationalstateWILLIAMI.ROBINSONUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbaraGlobalizationisarelativelynewconceptinthesocialsciences.Whatthisconceptexactlymeans,thenature,extent,andimportanceofthe1changesboundupwiththeprocess,ishotlydebated.Butfewwoulddoubtth

2、atitisacquiringacriticalimportancefortheacademicaswellasthepoliticalagendaofthetwenty-¢rstcentury,orthatitposesadistinctivechallengetotheoreticalworkinthesocialsciences.Thehistoriclimitationsofsocialtheory,insofarasithasbeeninformedbythestudyof``national''societiesandthenation-state,arebrou

3、ghtintofocusbytheuniversalizingtendenciesandtransnationalstructuraltransformationsboundupwithglobalization.Towhatextentisthenation-stateahistoricallyspeci¢cformofworldsocialorganizationnowintheprocessofbecomingtranscendedbycapitalistglobaliza-tion?Thisisthequestionthatunderliesthepresentess

4、ay,althoughthematterIintendtoaddressismorecircumscribed.Thedebateonglobalizationhasincreasinglycenteredontherelationofthenation-statetoeconomicglobalization.Buttheissueofglobal-izationandthestatehasbeenmisframed.Eitherthenation-state(andtheinter-statesystem)isseenasretainingitsprimacyasthea

5、xisofinternationalrelationsandworlddevelopment^the``strongstate''thesis^inadualistconstructthatpositsseparatelogicsforaglobalizingeconomicandanation-statebasedpoliticalsystem,orthestateisseen,asinthe``weakstate''ordiverse``endofthenation-state''theses,asnolongerimportant.Rejectingtheseframe

6、s,Iintendheretoclarifytherelationshipbetweenglobalizationandthenation-statebycritiquingandmovingbeyondthisglobal-nationaldualismbydevelopingtheconceptofatransnationalstate.Iarguethatthestateandthenation-statearenotcoterminous.Thecon£ationofthetwointheglobaliza-tionliteraturehasimpededanalys

7、isoftheincreasingseparationofstatepracticesfromthoseofthenation-state.TheoryandSociety30:157^200,2001.ß2001KluwerAcademicPublishers.PrintedintheNetherlands.158Speci¢cally,Icallforareturntoahistoricalmaterialistconceptionofthestate,andonthisbasisexploreth