Birth of the state: the place of the body in crafting modern politics.

The article focuses on the evolving role of the body in International Relations (IR), particularly through the work of Charlotte Epstein, who examines the historical significance of the body in the formation of modern states. Epstein's book explores the emergence of the English state in the seventeenth century, drawing on theorists like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and discusses how the co-constitution of state and political subjects has been overlooked. The text highlights the impacts of this relationship on security, liberty, and property, while also addressing the exclusion of marginalized groups from this foundational narrative. The author suggests that Epstein's work invites further exploration of the connections between state formation and embodied subjects, contributing significantly to the discourse in IR. [Extracted from the article]