Contemporary Political Sociology: Globalization, Politics, and Power

This book thoroughly reviews recent work in political sociology, expanding the field to deal with globalization, social movements, and citizenship in terms of the "postmodern turn." This makes it very useful as a textbook. It is also a contribution to political sociology, effectively redefining the field. It argues that an understanding of cultural politics is necessary to appreciate both how the nation-state has been displaced as the center of political activity and how it is now being reformed as the internationalized state. An understanding of cultural politics enables political sociology to grasp existing potential for the democratization of contemporary social practices.

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In contrast to traditional political sociology, where the principal issue is the relationship between society and state, the new political sociology considers the activities of social movements and processes of globalization as seen in all social relations. This highly original contribution provides a redefinition of the field. It considers the effect of the "postmodern turn" on the field and summarizes literature on globalization, social movements, and citizenship to argue that as a result of empirical changes and theoretical shifts, the sovereign nation-state has been displaced as the center of political activity.

Kate Nash is Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of Lonon. She is the author of Universal Diference: Feminism and the Liberal Undecidability of Women (1998).