"In Before Colonization: Non-Western States and Systems in the Nineteenth Century, Charles Butcher and Ryan D. Griffiths tackle international relations theory's reliance on the European state system by developing a new framework of what counts as statehood across non-European regional contexts over the past two centuries, revealing surprising trends in state formation and state death. Using a unique catalogue of the number of independent states outside of Europe since 1816, Butcher and Griffiths show theextent of variation in centralization, structure, and administration strategy in states across East Asia, South Asia, maritime Southeast Asia, and West Africa. They also examine the effects that war, trade, and interaction capacity have on state formation across regions, taking care to document the large number of states that were extinguished as a consequence of European colonialism and the global enclosure. Through this expanded set of cases in this wide-ranging mixed-methods study, the authors providenuance and refinements to popular state system theories around international change, the spread of norms, and the project of power"-- Provided by publisher.
Prior to European colonization, the world was thickly populated with hundreds of independent states and vibrant regional state systems. Yet these states are typically excluded from traditional international relations scholarship, which has mostly focused on the European experience.
This book provides a groundbreaking comparative analysis of non-Western states and state systems in the nineteenth century. Using an original data set on independent states during this period, Charles R. Butcher and Ryan D. Griffiths answer fundamental questions such as how many states there were, when they arose, and when they died, documenting the large number of states that were extinguished as a consequence of European colonialism. They explore the structure of nineteenth-century state systems in East Asia, South Asia, maritime Southeast Asia, and West Africa, examining the effects of war, trade, and interaction capacity. Through these case studies, Butcher and Griffiths provide novel perspectives on longstanding debates over state centralization and the choice between indirect and direct forms of rule.
Shedding new light on the dynamics of non-Western interstate relations during the nineteenth century, Before Colonization reveals striking similarities between state systems across diverse historical settings.
This book provides a groundbreaking comparative analysis of non-Western states and state systems in the nineteenth century, using an original data set on independent states during this period.
