Global Politics

Jenny Edkins is Honorary Professor of Politics at The University of Manchester and Professor Emeritus at Aberystwyth University, UK.Maja Zehfuss is Professor of International Politics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Thomas Gregory is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Praise for This Edition“This is one of the most innovative, engaging and expansive textbooks for teaching and learning about global politics. The toughest challenge for educators these days is to encourage critical thinking on global issues, and this book has always made it possible through integration of theory and praxis, illustrative examples and addressing contemporary questions and debates. We have been using this extensively in our IR courses at Gothenburg, and it is hugely popular among students. What a gift this 4th edition will be!” Swati Parashar, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. “I initially read this book as a Masters student and was struck by the openness of the chapters. Each chapter asks questions relating to global politics, and these questions provoke critical thinking. As a PhD student and TA, I taught from this textbook on an introduction to IR module. It uses relevant examples that engage students, and it is written in a way that is accessible. I find that the way in which it poses questions enables students to feel they can - and should - employ their own critical thinking to understand the political issues of our time. Global Politics is thought-provoking, warm, and challenging.” Zeenat Sabur, third year PhD candidate, University of Manchester, UK“Global Politics: A New Introduction shows how students’ critical thinking begins with questioning the established political, social and economic structures. It calls for unlearning the traditional boundaries of the discipline and encourages us to rethink conventional narratives about when global politics began, what it is, and how it operates.” Umut Ozguc, Macquarie University, Australia“This fourth edition is quite simply the best introduction to global politics available today. Its fearless originality, global orientation, and radical interdisciplinarity will leave you questioning every aspect of the world around you. If you are not satisfied with superficial understandings of socio-economic challenges such as poverty, racism, migration, or predictive AI, then this is the book you have been waiting to encounter” – Nick Vaughan-Williams, University of Birmingham, UK Praise for Previous Editions"This is the book that gets students reading, thinking and talking! It poses the questions central to the practices of global politics and pushes the boundaries of how we understand those processes. Crucially it encourages us to rethink about what constitutes the 'global' and what 'politics' involves." Stephen Hobden, University of East London, UK"I have been using this book for undergraduate teaching since the first edition was published. This newest edition has made a good thing even better. Using up-to-date illustrative examples, the chapters offer theoretically-rich, innovative yet accessible introductions to key ideas in the study of global politics. This remarkable volume goes beyond the familiar stories about International Relations, challenging students to think critically not only about the answers, but about the questions we ask about the way the world works." - Fiona Robinson, Carleton University, Canada."Global Politics’ is the only IR textbook that works outside of the West. Having taught at international universities in Asia and the Middle East, I have seen first-hand how warmly it is received by students from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Myanmar, India, China and Japan, among others. This book engages with issues students care about and forces them to think outside of the sanitized and safe box of Western IR theories." Herman T. Salton, ICU University, Japan

• 1 Introduction 2 How do we begin to think about the world? 3 Why do some people think they know what is good for others? 4 When do we think global politics began? 5 What happens if we don’t take nature for granted?6 Can we save the planet? 7 Who do we think we are? 8 How do religious beliefs affect politics? 9 Why do we obey? 10 How do we find out what’s going on in the world? 11 What does AI do to politics? 12 Why is people’s movement restricted? 13 Where do we think we are from? 14 Does the nation-state work? 15 How is the world organized economically? 16 How does colonialism work? 17 Do colonialism and slavery belong to the past? 18 How does finance affect the politics of everyday life? 19 How can we end poverty? 20 Why does politics turn to violence? 21 What makes the world dangerous? 22 Can we move beyond conflict? 23 Who has rights? 24 Conclusion: What can we do to change the world?