cos tume s in the futuris tic

W ate rworld ha ve be e n de s cribe d ne

a some die va l iron a nd ke lp. In

politics a nd e conomics , a s in s cie nce fiction movie s , it ma y he lp to a tte mpt to vis ua lize the

unknown future in te rms of the known pa s t.

To be cle a r from the outs e t, I do not a rgue tha t we a re a bout to re turn to a world of

ma nors a nd fie fs , of lords a nd va s s a ls . If the mode rn e ra is a n a noma ly, howe ve r, looking ba ck to

me die va l Europe ma y he lp us unde rs ta nd the rough outline s of a n e me rging pos tmode rn globa l

e conomy. Thene ome die va l me ta phor s hould be s e e n a s a n inte r-te mpora l a na log of compa ra tive

politica l a na lys is . It a llows us to ove rcome the ine rtia impos e d by our imme rs ion in the pre s e nt

a nd think a bout othe r pos s ible mode s of politica l a nd e conomic orga niza tion.

I a m ce rta inly not the firs t to usne

e ome die va l a na logie s.

Almos t 20 ye a rs a go, Bull (1977:254) s ugge s te d tha t one a lte rna tive to the mode rn s ta te

s ys te m might be “a mode rn a nd s e cula r e quiva le nt of the kind of unive rs a l politica l orga niza tion

tha t e xis te d in We s te rn Chris te ndom in the Middle Age s .” S ince tha t time , a numbe r of othe r

a uthors ha ve looke d ba ck to me die va l Europe to try to unde rs ta nd cha nge in the inte rna tiona l

s ys te m.

Hirs t a nd Thomps on (1995) obs e rve tha t inte rna tiona l politics is a ga in be coming more

polyce ntric a nd s ugge s t tha t its comple xity will s oon riva l tha t of the Middle Age s . S imila rly,

La pha m (1988), dis cus s ing the e me rge nce of a va rie ty of non-na tiona l a ctors in world politics ,

s ugge s ts tha t “the hie ra rchie s of inte rna tiona l ca pita lis m re s e mble the fe uda l a rra nge me nts unde r

which a n Ita lia n noble might s we a r fe a lty to a Ge rma n prince , or a Norma n duke de cla re hims e lf

the va s s a l of a n Englis h king." Ande rs on (1996)us e s ne o-me die va l or pos tmode rn conce ptions of

te rritoria lity to think a bout the future of the Europe a n Union.

Gottlie b (1993) a nd Ma ie r (1994) a re both conce rne d a bout conflicts be twe e n na tion a nd

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