Capitalism, modernity and the nation state: A critique of Hannes Lacher

This article is a critique of the views of Hannes Lacher, and in particular those expounded in his Beyond Globalization: Capitalism, Territoriality and the International Relations of Modernity (2006), which was intended as a contribution to the historical materialist approach to international relations. Three core issues are addressed: namely (1) Lacher’s understanding of historical materialism; (2) his understanding of the connection between capitalism and the nation state; and (3) his view of the relationship between the capitalism and ‘modernity’. In all three cases, I argue that Lacher’s views differ significantly from those of Marx and Marxism.