Beate Jahn is Lecturer in International Relations, University of Sussex.

Acknowledgements Introduction Culture, Nature, and the Ambivalence of International Theory PART I: HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE STATE OF NATURE The 'Discovery' of America as a Culture Shock Reinventing the State of Nature The Politics of the State of Nature in the 'New' World PART II: THE STATE OF NATURE AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF EUROPEAN THOUGHT The Tyranny of the European Context: Reading Classical Political Theory in International Relations The State of Nature as the Basis for Classical Political Thought The Politics of the State of Nature in the American and French Revolution Conclusion: The Consequences of the State of Nature for International Relations Theory Bibliography Index

The discipline of international relations deals with the problem of culture by defining world politics as a state of nature, yet it ignores the fact that the concept of the state is itself a cultural product. This book uncovers the history of this idea, revealing its origins in the European conquest of America, its crucial role in the emergence of the Enlightenment world view, and its continuing negative consequences for our attempts to understand world politics.