In contrast to realist and liberal approaches to international relations, which emphasize the institutional or structural form of international politics, the authors of this volume assert that states do not possess autonomous international preferences conditioned only by competition with other states. Instead, such preferences are socially constructed in a fluid environment in which there exist no strict dividing lines between state and society.

The organizing principle of this volume is a focus on how the domestic social order affects a country's foreign relations. Contested Social Orders and International Politics thus posits an international system that consists not of competing states but of social orders among which there exist varying degrees of compatibility and rivalry.

Political scientists, historians, economists, and sociologists who are concerned with international relations will find this a challenging and welcome addition to the theoretical literature that will shed new light on many longstanding debates within the field.