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Waltz, Durkheim, and International Relations: The International System as an Abnormal Form

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

John Barkdull
John Barkdull
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University
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Abstract

Drawing on Emile Durkheim's Division of Labor in Society, I offer a typology of international systems. Previous uses of Durkheim to describe international systems suffer a number of conceptual errors and therefore are at variance with the spirit and intention of Durkheim's work. A deeper reading of Durkheim usefully draws attention to the moral basis for society and thus the problems with defining international systems solely in terms of power distributions. Further, rereading Durkheim offers a much richer typology than the simple distinction between mechanical and organized societies, affording in turn fresh insights into change in the international system. The abnormal forms of the division of labor offer the best description of the contemporary international system.

Type
Research Notes
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 89 , Issue 3 , September 1995 , pp. 669 - 680
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1995

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