"Theories of Sovereignty – an Interdisciplinary Approach" Global Society, 18:4

Tracing the confusion surrounding the concept of sovereignty to its complex referent, to epistemological relativism, and to metaphorical uses of the term "sovereignty", this article proposes an interdisciplinary approach as a partial remedy to this problem. As a preliminary step, the article starts with an analysis of the intricate relationship that exists between legal stipulations, descriptive statements and normative theories. This is followed by a six-fold classification of theories of sovereignty on the basis of their unit of analysis and analytical goals. The article concludes with an attempt to identify some of the most important linkages between these classes of theories.