Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
235th out of 837 books
—
2,547 voters
Theories of International Politics and Zombies
What would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to eat the living? Daniel Drezner's groundbreaking book answers the question that other international relations scholars have been too scared to ask. Addressing timely issues with analytical bite, Drezner looks at how well-known theories from international relations might be applied to...more
Paperback, 153 pages
Published
January 3rd 2011
by Princeton University Press
(first published December 21st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
874)
I'm not entirely proud to say I read this. Still, it was far better than I expected. I honestly checked it out for the International Politics angle rather than the "braaaaains" angle. I took several courses in International Relations while in college and I always had problems keeping the distinctions between the various schools of thought straight. This book explained them in a way that made sense, and was entertaining. Still, Drezner could've gone deeper into explicating the theories without lo...more
So, you all have read the Facebook challenges about what you would do if the zombie apocalypse comes. You know what your weapons are, who your teams are. I assume you've been to the ZombieSquad webpage and built your bug-out-bags.
But what will our leaders do? How will nations act when cross-border zombie infiltration and infection becomes a problem?
This book looks to answer those questions. By surveying popular media portrayals of zombies and human responses and combining that data with leading...more
But what will our leaders do? How will nations act when cross-border zombie infiltration and infection becomes a problem?
This book looks to answer those questions. By surveying popular media portrayals of zombies and human responses and combining that data with leading...more
No prefácio a Synthetic Worlds, Eduardo Catronova aponta para uma tradição nas ciências sociais de escolher um tema divertido ou absurdo e fazer um paper aplicando teorias e técnicas de análise metodológica, aliviando o tédio de congressos cheios de comunicações interessantes mas... áridas. No caso de Castronova a coisa resvalou e de possível artigo divertido sobre as economias dos mundos virtuais transformou-se em objecto de investigação e carreira académica.
Drezner aplica o mesmo raciocínio às...more
Drezner aplica o mesmo raciocínio às...more
This book is not what I expected. I think I was expecting something about how major nations would act in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Most novels are focused on a small area or even a nation but there isn't much about how the leadership of the nation would interact with other nations (if such interaction is possible). That's not what this is.
This is mostly a book about various political theories. I must admit up front that my tolerance for pure theory is pretty low. Rawl's veil of ignorance...more
This is mostly a book about various political theories. I must admit up front that my tolerance for pure theory is pretty low. Rawl's veil of ignorance...more
Take an insightful professor of international politics with a great sense of humor, mix in the entire canon of zombie lit and cinema, and you have the recipe for a delightfully fun and irreverent look at the "what ifs" of a world gone mad with brain eating hordes.
Drezner's preface to the book uses a Graceland tour guide as the analogy to what his treatise hopes to be; and it works. His posits are well researched and plausible - even though he is dealing with a subject matter pure fiction. Yes, h...more
Drezner's preface to the book uses a Graceland tour guide as the analogy to what his treatise hopes to be; and it works. His posits are well researched and plausible - even though he is dealing with a subject matter pure fiction. Yes, h...more
5 likes · like · see review
A really awesome book. The first time I "read" it was via audio book and I felt pretty lost. But having given it a second read through with a hard copy where I was able to more slowly digest all the big words and terms (rather than let them fly by) I found I understood and enjoyed it WAY more than my last go through.
I think what I like most about it is how he ties in the best works of the zombie genre and bases his reactions of the world around that, not on how he expects zombies to be. One thin...more
I think what I like most about it is how he ties in the best works of the zombie genre and bases his reactions of the world around that, not on how he expects zombies to be. One thin...more
A great intro or primer for international relations theory with zombie movies used rather than historical case studies or current events to illustrate theories. Very informative for personnel without significant IR background and provides interesting insight into application of IR theory to 21st century security challenges (albeit somewhat superficial coverage of these topics). However those conversant with IR theory will most likely find the zombie vehicle more annoying than clever...and after...more
I heard an interview with the author of this book on public radio and it sounded great. Use the idea of a zombie outbreak to explain the different schools of thought in international relations. How would a neo-conservative think the world would respond to this crisis? And how does this same neo-con believe we should respond? What about those from realist or liberal schools of thought? And so forth.
Problem is, I think it made a much more interesting and funnier interview than it did a book. It's...more
Problem is, I think it made a much more interesting and funnier interview than it did a book. It's...more
1 like · like · see review
BIlled as just another zombie book, Dan Drezner's "Theories of International Politics and Zombies" is more of an international relations primer, for those interested in a quick and easy to understand explanation of major theories and issues in IR. It's funny, at parts, with the occasional rhetoric hiccup (for which I blame political science). And given its length and subject matter, it is best read as a companion piece to Max Brooks' "World War Z," which does an excellent job of fleshing out the...more
It's quite an amusing book, and I had fun reading it. It also clarified the basic principles of some schools of international relations that I hadn't been exactly clear on. However, I think you'd have to be a) very much MORE into international relations than I am and picking up on some of the subtle cleverness of his presentation, b) very much LESS into international relations and the social sciences in general than I am, and have this as a true introduction, or c) very much more familiar with t...more
1 like · like · see review
I started this book with high expectations, partly because of its great cover design, but mainly because I was excited by the sense of humor of an author putting together the topics of international politics and zombies. Never have I been so wrong.
Ever since I first heard about the book, I'd been envisioning a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic or absurdist attitude; instead, the author is almost apologetic about writing such a book, repeatedly explaining why he dared to bring these topics together and...more
Ever since I first heard about the book, I'd been envisioning a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic or absurdist attitude; instead, the author is almost apologetic about writing such a book, repeatedly explaining why he dared to bring these topics together and...more
I read this book as part of a research project on zombie fiction and survival narratives, hoping to get a sense of how something like a zombie-apocalypse might be dealt with in a "real-world" scenario. I can't say that this book offered much insight in that regard, since it didn't show a very sophisticated knowledge of the zombie genre or a serious interest in "outbreak" scenarios. Instead it relies on old movie cliches and zombie-puns to provide an entertaining summary of basic concepts in inte...more
The premise of the book is fun, but I had a hard time getting into it. It reminded me of one of those extremely technical grad school papers with tons of footnotes and references to various other sources (but fun ones in Drezner's book, I'll admit). Drezner seemed to reference Max Brooks's "World War Z" most of all when describing various international politics topics from "the Realpolitik of the Living Dead" to "Neoconservatism and the Axis of Evil Dead," although zombie authors and directors f...more
This started out as a fun concept. This book did an okay job at explaining basic international politics theories to the uninterested, but I still found it a disappointment. The introduction was promising, but the rest of the book focused too heavily (in my opinion) on zombies in fiction and not enough on international politics. The author should've either made it clear that fiction plays a main role and focus on that, OR take the joke to the next level and focus more seriously on international p...more
Wow there is a lot when you scratch the surface of the zombie thing. 58 percent of philosophers believe in zombies on some level. Most of my research has drawn academic articles from philosophers... articles on consciousness, materiality, what makes us human, etc. Fascinating stuff.
I'd give this book a 3.5 if I could. I was hoping for a book that interrogated how zombie lit/film is a metaphor for social/political concerns. That's not what this book is, but it's funny. Dry humor .... how differen...more
I'd give this book a 3.5 if I could. I was hoping for a book that interrogated how zombie lit/film is a metaphor for social/political concerns. That's not what this book is, but it's funny. Dry humor .... how differen...more
I really enjoyed this book. The humour was dry and you could almost feel a suppressed giggle & a hand covering a smirk at some points even as he was explaining theories of policy, psychology, and international decision making. Very interesting theory on why Marxism & feminism didn't make the cut for dealing with zombies. Snort.
I'd really like to go out for a beer with Daniel Drezner & Max Brooks. Seriously, how fun would that conversation be?
I'd really like to go out for a beer with Daniel Drezner & Max Brooks. Seriously, how fun would that conversation be?
The premise of the book is fun. Drezner seemed to reference Max Brooks's "World War Z" most of all when describing various international politics topics from "the Realpolitik of the Living Dead" to "Neoconservatism and the Axis of Evil Dead," although zombie authors and directors from Maberry to Romero were also mentioned. It's a short book at just over 100 pages, well-written, and a new spin on zombies: mixing it up with some political science.
I love Daniel Drezner's blog so decided to pick up this book. I wasn't a big fan. I work in international relations so the theories in the book weren't new to me. I think for someone who has little experience with international relations, this book could be a fun/light-hearted means of becoming familiar with different theories in the field. Otherwise, I say pick up something with a bit more depth.
The premise and first sections of the book manage to toe the line between silliness and content very well but as the book moves on to drill down into the specifics of the individual theories it does start to flag. I couldn't escape the feeling that this was more of a flaw in the theories and their rather too great simplicity eater than a flaw in the quality of the writing but for the reader it doesn't much matter.
Loved this! Took what would otherwise feel like rather complicated theories (i.e. realpolitik and neoconservatism) and explored them through the real life problem of zombies. The review of literature and definitions section were brilliant, especially for someone who is at heart a bit of an academic, and I loved the constant humanities style references to zombie films, boos, and music.
This is Princeton U. press here--I enjoyed this book; a little technical on the international politics--just goes to show how unprepared we are for a large influx of zombies. The one thing missing is the approach to scientific understanding of zombie problem--e.g., is this human subjects research or not? Oh yeah--the book is short; 100 pages, large font, no pictures.
This felt like a Cliff Notes version of a dry international text, spiked with zombies a la Grahame-Smith. It was often a bit dry and strained and nowhere near as enjoyable as, for example, World War Z, but Theories of International Politics and Zombies was still a quick enough read and laugh-out-loud funny enough in enough places I'll generously give it four stars.
The author provided sound arguments using a zombie apocalypse as a stress test for each theory of international politics: realism, liberalism, constructivism, sprinkled with comments on marxism and feminism. It is a quick read, and worth it for anyone who has studied international relations. Whets your interest.
Has a couple of sharp, funny moments, but is mostly silly, while trying a bit too hard to keep a straight face. Also, Drezner spends way too many pages justifying the book's existence by talking about how popular zombies are right now. Anyway, I mostly found myself wishing I were re-reading Max Brooks' World War Z (which Drezner cites frequently) instead.
This is a great short read for anyone who is interested in political theory and/or zombie apocalypses. Drezner looks at the way different political theories could be used to explain/predict how states would react to a global zombie epidemic. Fascinating and hilarious. Use your brains before the zombies do!
If you ever wanted to know more about theories and the inner-workings of international politics, this book explains all that in a way that's not ridiculously dry (as most textbooks are). The book is easy to read and helps you remember theories through the use of zombies! :) Thank you Professor Saideman!
Our society is increasingly recognizing the importance of zombies in the arts, science, and every day life. This is an important addition to our understanding of the undead, particularly the international political (and to some extent sociological and psychological) challenges posed by them.
My main criticism is the minimal focus on zombie economics. This field seems hitherto minimally explored. There is substantial room for economics to improve our understanding of how to deal with a zombie apo...more
My main criticism is the minimal focus on zombie economics. This field seems hitherto minimally explored. There is substantial room for economics to improve our understanding of how to deal with a zombie apo...more
I read this book for my International Relations class and I thought it was very informative and funny for the basics of International Politics. It made the subject easier to understand and gave scenarios that I can relate the theories to, to help remember them in the future.
I loved this book. I have recently found myself enthralled with zombies, but I am not as much a fan of the blood and Gore. ToIPaZ is highly theoretical, almost like the textbook we wished we bad, but the focus is all zombies. Excellent for anyone who wants to know everything about the effect of zombies or who want to brush up on their international political theory in a fun way
This is such a fun book! I can totally picture this being required reading for a first year Political Science class as its more about the theories behind differing schools of thought, explained through the idea of a zombie apocalypse. Still a fun read!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Indeed, one concern would be that the initial neoconservative response to a zombie outbreak would be to invade Iraq again out of force of habit.”
—
10 people liked it
More quotes…
Aug 24, 2012 09:31am