Three Stages in the Evolution of the Concept of International Society: The History of the English School of International Relations or the History of Academic Communities?

Abstract

This article considers the development of the English school of international relations. The enduring influence of its central concept pursued by international society on three generations of scholars is examined. Three stages are identified in the evolution of the above concept. In the first stage, the British Committee for the Study of International Politics laid the groundwork for the subsequent genesis of the school’s concept. In 1970, H. Bull formulated its basic tenets. The second stage is associated with the efforts to attract more researchers to the school in order to expand the scope of the concept and introduce new problems to the field. As a result, the school transformed from a rather closed group of researchers into a diverse community of specialists in international relations. During the third stage, this community divided over the assessment of modern international society, which not only caused a rift within the school but also prompted a modernization of its concept in line with the most recent theoretical insights into the nature of international relations. Therefore, the history of the English school of international relations was underpinned by the collective work of various research groups united under the broad methodological frameworks of the concept supported by international society.