The Hidden History of Realism

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Introduction: A Genealogical Reading of Realism

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 1-14

3. Square Pegs and Round Holes: Forcing Realism into a Paradigm and Keeping It There

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 15-34

4. Realism as Contramodern Critique

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 35-50

5. E.H. Carr and the Complexity of Power Politics

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 51-74

6. The Realist Truths of Hans Morgenthau

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 75-97

7. Nuancing Realism: Martin Wight, Power Politics, and International Society

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 99-114

8. The Retreat from the Real: Kenneth Waltz and the International System

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 115-129

9. Conclusion: A Counter-Memory of Realism

   • Seán Molloy

   Pages 131-150

10. Back Matter

    Pages 175-187

    PDF

Challenging the received notions of International Relations theory about a central tradition - Realism - Molloy demonstrates how a belief in a mode of theorization has distorted Realism, forcing the theory of power politics in IR into a paradigmatic strait-jacket that is simply inadequate and inappropriate to the task of encompassing its diversity.

• international relations
• politics
• realism

"In a philosophically sophisticated yet accessible and lucidly written genealogy of Realism that is both scholarly and accessible, Molloy retrieves the Realist tradition from the strictures of neorealism. His genealogy of Realism refreshes the tradition of Realist thinking as it provides a critical way of engaging with it. More important still, The Hidden History of Realism supplies a model of how to think international relations theory as such."

- Michael Dillon Professor of Politics University of Lancaster

"Seán Molloy corrosively strips contemporary Realism of its scientific plating to reveal a rich historical patina of diversity, controversy, and, yes, humanity. Rather than stand on the shoulders of giants the 'English School Syndrome' Molloy engages E.H. Carr, Martin Wight, Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz in a critical dialogue, finding in what Ralph Waldo Emerson calls the 'lengthened shadow of an individual' not a monumental Realism but a vital hetero-realism for our own indeterminate times, power, and system - but a vital hetero-realism for our own indeterminate times."

- James Der Derian, Professor of International Relations, Brown University

"Molloy reminds us that before these icons of Realism were reduced to the dry mummies of a scholarly canon, they were compassionate, controversial, trailblazing thinkers pursuing answers to lasting problems of world affairs. He makes a good case for why their discussions are stillrelevant - and for why their status as icons is well deserved."

- Torbjørn L. Knutsen, Professor of International Relations, University of Trondheim (NTNU), Norway

SEÁN MOLLOY is the Lecturer in International Relations Theory at the University of Glasgow, UK.

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