International Organizations and Global Civil Society: Histories of the Union of International Associations

Description

The Union of International Associations (UIA) was founded in 1910, aiming to coordinate the relations and interests of international organizations across the world. Its long history makes it a prism through which to study the field of international organizations and its dynamics. Bringing together experts from fields including history, political science and international relations, architecture, historical sociology, digital humanities and information studies, International Organizations and Global Civil Society is the first scholarly book to cover both the UIA's early years and its more recent past. Key issues explored include the UIA's importance for the field of scientific internationalism, the relations between the UIA and other international organizations, and the changing position of the UIA when facing geopolitical challenges such as totalitarianism, the World Wars and the Cold War. This important book addresses a number of current scholarly concerns: the concept of "global civil society"; the development of international relations as a field of study; the investigation of transnational factors in modern and contemporary history; and the tracing of forerunners to the "information society".

Daniel Laqua is Associate Professor of European History at Northumbria University, UK. He is the author of The Age of Internationalism and Belgium, 1880-1930: Peace, Progress and Prestige (2013). Wouter Van Acker is Associate Professor of Architectural Theory and History at the Universite libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Christophe Verbruggen is Associate Professor of Social and Cultural History at Ghent University, Belgium.

Essential for anybody who wants to use UIA data, as it is the deepest and clearest reference, introducing the organisation and its publications. At the same time, the book is an interesting read for anyone dealing with the international system ... In the different chapters, the authors show great knowledge of the subject they are handling, providing a series of well-known essential references along with more refined publications that are less known, but valuable indeed. It is surely a book that deserves a wide outreach. * Global Policy * International Organizations and Global Civil Society is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the history of international organizations. Well-written, deeply researched and insightful, it demonstrates the significance of the Union of International Associations to international historians, international relations scholars and information studies specialists. * Daniel Gorman, Professor of History, University of Waterloo, Canada * This volume sheds new light on the history of international cooperation in the 20th century. Breaking out of the mould of narrow institutional histories, the authors bring the UIA to life as a crucial element of the infrastructure of Brussels-centred internationalism, and one which provided the scaffolding for many international ventures. * Jessica Reinisch, Reader in Modern European History, Birkbeck, University of London, UK *