Commentary

Abstract

This book has examined a range of metaphors, from money laundering to rhizome to laboratories to the Tobin Tax. Globalization itself has been presented as a metaphor that has found expression in further metaphors, for instance, of empire, of apartheid, of network society or global village. So what? In this closing commentary, I would like to argue that these metaphors of globalization open a space for rethinking how we approach the study of world politics. The distinction between explanation, understanding and critique is widely accepted. The use of metaphors of mirrors, magicians and mutinies to discuss the distinction sheds new light on these modes of analysis. The pivotal role of metaphor in this repackaging and as a critical analytic tool is an important and original contribution.