World society and the English School: an 'international society' perspective on world society

The relationship between the English School's notion of 'international society, or the 'society of states, and various more sociologically informed conceptions of 'world' or 'global' society is here examined. The English School is located as a variant of classical realism and its notion of 'international society' is then explicated by means of a contrast to the neo-realist idea of an international system. The English School's confrontation with John Burton's 'cobweb' model of world society is then described and the potential for a relationship between a society of states and the Stanford School's conception of global society is argued. Modern systems theory is less compatible with English School thinking although the related notion of a world system has some affinities, especially with reference to its interest in the history of the modern world system. Finally, some difficulties with the conception of norms employed by the English School are outlined.