He hasn't finished yet: achievements and challenges in the work of Michael Mann

Over the past thirty years, Michael Mann has become established as one of the world’s leading social theorists. Mann’s contributions to a range of disciplines and to a number of important issues – state formation, empire and what he terms the ‘dark side’ of democracy and modernity – place him on a par with leading figures in both classical and contemporary social theory. At the same time, Mann’s engagement with International Relations and his broader discussion with world history remain incomplete for three main reasons: Mann underplays the role of agency in the formation of the modern world; under-theorises the international dimensions of world historical development; and fails consistently to relate normative concerns to his overall enterprise.