Technology and International Transformation

Examines the interrelation between technology and international politics since the nineteenth century.

During an era in which the pace of technological change is unrelenting, understanding how international politics both shapes and is shaped by technology is crucial. Drawing on international relations theory, historical sociology, and the history of technology, Geoffrey L. Herrera offers an ambitious, theoretically sophisticated, and historically rich examination of the interrelation between technology and international politics. He explores the development of the railroad in the nineteenth century and the atomic bomb in the twentieth century to show that technologies do not stand apart from, but are intimately related to, even defined by, international politics.

“The strength of this book is that its historical case study is informed by crucial questions drawn from the field of international relations. Hence, the book is far more useful to students of international relations than if it were a mere historical monograph. [Herrera’s] contribution … to international political economy and to security analysis is substantial.” — Perspectives on Politics

“There is obviously a lot to like here … [It] deserves praise as a thoroughly interdisciplinary and theoretically minded effort to bring international relations … into dialogue with the history of technology. ” — Technology and Culture

“…this is a well-judged book with a wealth of historical detail.” — International Relations

“This book provides a nuanced and theoretically rigorous treatment of the role of technology in international systems change. Many international relations theories rely on technology as the ‘uncaused cause’ and leave it undertheorized. Herrera makes a compelling case that all technologies are not the same so we must theorize about them in different ways.” — Emily Goldman, coeditor of The Information Revolution in Military Affairs in Asia

“Herrera fills important gaps in the international relations literature. His book addresses the general and important question of systems change for which neither structural realists nor constructivists have formulated adequate explanations. For the former, continuity in the essence of international politics has become dogma. For the latter, the possibilities for change inherent in a non-materialist conception of structure have not produced persuasive theories of agency. Placing technology in a social framework, Herrera shows how agents and artifacts often give rise to novel practices with wide-ranging systems-level effects. A major advance in relating technology and technological change to fundamental questions of international relations theory.” — James W. Davis, author of Terms of Inquiry: On the Theory and Practice of Political Science

Geoffrey L. Herrera is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Temple University.