Revisiting the Question of the Transnational State: A Comment on William Robinson's "Social Theory and Globalization"

In "Social Theory and Globalization" (2001), William Robinson claims that globalization is the "near culmination" of the capitalist expansion project. He posits a globalization that contradicts national organization & local knowledge, but these restrictions may well assert th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theory and society 2001-04, Vol.30 (2), p.201-210
Main Author: McMichael, Philip
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capitalism
Currency
Economic Development
Economic liberalism
Globalization
Hegemony
Historical Materialism
International political economy
International politics
International relations theory
Nation states
Political Development
Political power
Robinson, William
Social research
Social theories
Sociological theory
State
State politics
Symposium on Theory and Globalization
Theoretical Problems
World Economy
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Summary:In "Social Theory and Globalization" (2001), William Robinson claims that globalization is the "near culmination" of the capitalist expansion project. He posits a globalization that contradicts national organization & local knowledge, but these restrictions may well assert themselves in the globalization process. Robinson sees economic reorganization preceding political reorganization in globalization, but nevertheless, his is still a theoretical rather than a historical observation. Robinson's concept of transnational state needs to be derived from contradictory historical relations, just as the nation-state was an earlier globalization produced by global political-economic relations. The project of globalization is too contradictory to be addressed by the assumptions of extant social theory. M. Pflum
ISSN:0304-2421
1573-7853
DOI:10.1023/A:1011051711918