“I really enjoyed the book. It provides an empirically-rich, methodology-cally-rigorous and conceptually-grounded account of the state ‘in action’. It should prove to be essential reading for all those social scientists interested in the state but will also provide inspiration for all those interested in political geography, understandings of power and notions of performance.” (Cultural Geographies, 27 December 2013)
“It provides an empirically-rich, methodologically-rigorous and conceptually-grounded account of the state ‘in action’. It should prove to be essential reading for all those social scientists interested in the state but will also provide inspiration for all those interested in political geography, understandings of power and notions of performance.” Professor Rhys Jones, Aberystwyth University, UK (Cultural Geographies, January 2014, vol. 21 no. 1 165-166)
‘Consistently strong throughout its sections and chapters, Jeffrey has cemented his arguments with a good conceptual understanding, impressive fieldwork and primary research. The Improvised State is an original contribution to both the theoretical and research fields of political geography and critical international relations scholarship.’ ― David Campbell, Honorary Professor, Durham University/University of Queensland
‘In this persuasive book, Alex Jeffrey illuminates the central role of performance in the production of state power and demonstrates in fascinating detail why and how this is so―and with what effects. The argument is thoroughly researched, contextually sensitive, and crisply written. The Improvised State is a compelling study for scholars, students, and practitioners working on state power, international organizations, and post-conflict societies, in Europe and elsewhere.’ ―Merje Kuus, University of British Columbia
From the Inside Flap
Over the past 15 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has served as a laboratory of techniques to re-establish state sovereignty and promote democracy. The post-conflict intervention in Bosnia has justifiably received great interest from political theorists and scholars of international relations who have explored the limitations of the institutions and policies of international intervention. This book begins from an alternative premise: rather than examining institutions or charting limitations, Jeffrey argues for a focus on the performance of state sovereignty in Bosnia as it has been practiced by a range of actors both within and beyond the Bosnian state. In focusing on the state as a process, he argues that Bosnian sovereignty is best understood as a series of improvisations that have attempted to produce and reproduce a stable and unified state. Based on four periods of residential fieldwork in Bosnia, The Improvised State advances state theory through an illumination of the fragile and contingent nature of sovereignty in contemporary Bosnia and its grounding in the everyday lives of the Bosnian citizen.
From the Back Cover
Over the past 15 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has served as a laboratory of techniques to re-establish state sovereignty and promote democracy. The post-conflict intervention in Bosnia has justifiably received great interest from political theorists and scholars of international relations who have explored the limitations of the institutions and policies of international intervention. This book begins from an alternative premise: rather than examining institutions or charting limitations, Jeffrey argues for a focus on the performance of state sovereignty in Bosnia as it has been practiced by a range of actors both within and beyond the Bosnian state. In focusing on the state as a process, he argues that Bosnian sovereignty is best understood as a series of improvisations that have attempted to produce and reproduce a stable and unified state. Based on four periods of residential fieldwork in Bosnia, The Improvised State advances state theory through an illumination of the fragile and contingent nature of sovereignty in contemporary Bosnia and its grounding in the everyday lives of the Bosnian citizen.
About the Author
Alex Jeffrey is a University Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Cambridge. His research has focused on the governance of post-conflict environments, particularly the former Yugoslavia, and the role of non-governmental organizations in fostering democracy. He is co-author, together with Joe Painter, of Political Geography: An Introduction to Space and Power (2009) and with Anoop Nayak on Geographical Thought: An Introduction to Ideas in Human Geography (2011).
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