Abstract
This conversation takes place between Leonie Tanczer of University College London and Barry Buzan, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the London School of Economics. Buzan is a central figure of the Copenhagen School and Regional Security Complex Theory. He works currently with the English School approach to International Relations (IR), which is based on the understanding that there is not just an international system, but also an international society. The chapter discusses Buzan’s experience with technology. It highlights how the material side of technology is quite conventional in IR and how we might best understand technologies as the instruments and the knowledge behind tools that enhance the capabilities of both humans and animals to do things. As Buzan points out, we can hardly conceptualize anything in IR without thinking about the background technological conditions. Furthermore, we should go beyond seeing technology as a ‘sector’, rather conceptualizing it as a variable that affects all domains of the international system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsWorks Referenced
Buzan, B. (1998). People, states and fear. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Buzan, B., & Lawson, G. (2015). The global transformation: History, modernity and the making of international relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Buzan, B., Jones, C. A., & Little, R. (1993). The logic of anarchy: Neorealism to structural realism. New York: Columbia University Press.
Buzan, B., Wæver, O., & De Wilde, J. (1998). Security: A new framework for analysis. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tanczer, L., Buzan, B. (2019). Technology: From the Background to Opportunity. In: Kaltofen, C., Carr, M., Acuto, M. (eds) Technologies of International Relations . Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97418-7_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97418-7_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97417-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97418-7
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)