Cosmopolitan Spaces Europe, Globalization, Theory [Paperback]

Cosmopolitan Spaces: Europe, Globalization, Theory endeavors a highly innovative reading of both globalization theory and contemporary European transformations. Interpreting cosmopolitanism as a politics of space, Rumford positions his analysis at the intersection of two exciting currents in contemporary social science research: the spatial turn in the social sciences and the renewed interest in cosmopolitanism. Rumford elaborates a completely new theoretical framework for understanding the contemporary social and political transformation of Europe, and takes issue with many aspects of the globalization-inspired accounts of Europeanization which remain blind to the spatial dimensions of change. In addition to its compelling reading of cosmopolitanism, Cosmopolitan Spaces: Europe, Globalization, Theory, offers a provocative critique for thinking about Europe in terms of Empire, and advances the startling claim that Europe should be considered postwestern.

Acknowledgments.  1. Introduction: Cosmopolitanism as a Politics of Space.  2. From a Sociology of the EU to a Social Theory of Europe.  3. The Borders and Borderlands of Europe: A Critique of Balibar.  4. Europes Cosmopolitan Borders.  5. Spaces of Wonder: The Global Politics of Strangeness.  6. Empire and the Hubris of the High-point.  7. Postwesternization. 8. The World is not enough: Globalization Reconsidered.  9. Concluding Thoughts: The Spaces of Critical Cosmopolitanism.  Notes.  Bibliography.  Index.

Chris Rumford