New medievalism
Encyclopedia
New medievalism is a term used by Hedley Bull
in The Anarchical Society
to describe the erosion of state sovereignty
in the contemporary globalised world. This has resulted in an international system which resembles the medieval one, where political authority was exercised by a range of non-territorial and overlapping agents, such as religious bodies, principalities, empires and city-states, instead of by a single political authority in the form of a state which has complete sovereignty over its territory.
Bull argues that the contemporary international system is evolving into one with multiple and overlapping sources of power. Processes characterising this "new medievalism" include the increasing powers held by regional organisations such as the European Union
, as well as the spread of sub-national and devolved governments, such as those of Scotland
and Catalonia
. These challenge the exclusive authority of the state. Private military companies, multinational corporations and the resurgence of worldwide religious movements (e.g. Political Islam) similarly indicate a reduction in the role of the state and a decentralisation of power and authority.
More recently, Anthony Clark Arend
argues in his 1999 book,Legal Rules and International Society, that the international system is moving toward a "neo-medieval" system. He claims that the trends that Bull noted in 1977 had become even more pronounced by the end of the Twentieth Century. Arend argues that the emergence of a "neo-medieval" system would have profound implications for the creation and operation of international law.
Hedley Bull
Hedley Bull, FBA was Professor of International Relations at the Australian National University, the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford until his death from cancer in 1985...
in The Anarchical Society
The Anarchical Society
The Anarchical Society: A Study of Order in World Politics is a 1977 book by Hedley Bull and a founding text of the so called English School of international relations theory...
to describe the erosion of state sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
in the contemporary globalised world. This has resulted in an international system which resembles the medieval one, where political authority was exercised by a range of non-territorial and overlapping agents, such as religious bodies, principalities, empires and city-states, instead of by a single political authority in the form of a state which has complete sovereignty over its territory.
Bull argues that the contemporary international system is evolving into one with multiple and overlapping sources of power. Processes characterising this "new medievalism" include the increasing powers held by regional organisations such as the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, as well as the spread of sub-national and devolved governments, such as those of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. These challenge the exclusive authority of the state. Private military companies, multinational corporations and the resurgence of worldwide religious movements (e.g. Political Islam) similarly indicate a reduction in the role of the state and a decentralisation of power and authority.
More recently, Anthony Clark Arend
Anthony Clark Arend
Anthony Clark Arend is Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University. On July 1, 2008, he became the Director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. With Christopher C...
argues in his 1999 book,Legal Rules and International Society, that the international system is moving toward a "neo-medieval" system. He claims that the trends that Bull noted in 1977 had become even more pronounced by the end of the Twentieth Century. Arend argues that the emergence of a "neo-medieval" system would have profound implications for the creation and operation of international law.