Rule and Resistance Beyond the Nation State

Rule and resistance can no longer be understood in national contexts only. They both have transnationalised over the last decades. The scholarly discourse, however, still lags behind these developments. While International Relations only sees institutional "governance", social movement studies only see instances of resistance. Both, however, lack the necessary vocabulary to describe the dynamic interplay between systems of rule and resistance. While we are governed by transnational structures of rule, a systematic analysis of how this operates and how it can be resisted remains to be developed. This book develops an understanding of these power relations through rich empirical case studies of different forms of rule-resistance relationships. Some resistant groups demand reforms of particular policies and institutions. Others attack institutions head-on. Yet other actors attempt to escape the rules they reject. Which forms of resistance can we expect under different kinds of rule? How can we understand transnational rule in the first place? The book gives new inspiring answers to these difficult questions.

In times of growing resistance at national and transnational level, the bridging of knowledge in International Relations and Social Movement Studies emerges as all the more needed. In this enterprise, the conceptualization of rule beyond the national level is a challenge that this book addresses convincingly, starting from the perspective of resistant actors. Theoretically original and empirically rich, this volume provides a ground-breaking contribution to the understanding of some of the most relevant conflicts nowadays., Hierarchy, stable asymmetries, the structure of rule in IR: finally on the front burner. Studying rule by reference to patterns of resistance manifest in transnational social movements, and not just to the rules in play: a brand new menu. The dynamics of contestation, escalation, and refusal: fresh ingredients. In the kitchen: an ensemble of skillful cooks. This volume: a splendid three-course dinner., This book eloquently combines social movements and international relations studies to provide an innovative approach for understanding the interaction between rule and resistance. The authors offer a range of transnational empirical examples which illustrate the three ideal types of interaction - contestation, escalation and exit. An equally insightful read for students of social movements and international relations.

Christopher Daase is Professor of International Organizations, Goethe University Frankfurt. Felix Anderl is Research Associate at the chair “International Relations and Theories of Global Orders”, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main.