An original attempt to make the study of violent and non-violent harm central to sociology and international relations.

Andrew Linklater is Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University.

Introduction; 1. The concept of harm; 2. The harm principle and global ethics; 3. Harm and international relations theory; 4. The sociology of civilizing processes; 5. Historical sociology and world politics structures, norms and emotions; 6. Civilizing processes and international systems; Conclusion.