THEORIES OF IR – OCT. 16
CORE IDEAS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
- Focus -> human awareness or consciousness and its place in world affairs
- Reject such a one-sided material focus: most important aspect of international
relations is social, not material
o What we believe to be material is actually created through social norms and
human awareness
- World of international relations not a physical entity or material object that is outside
human consciousness
- International system exists only as a common understanding among people: the
system is constituted by ideas, not by material forces
- Set of ideas, body of though, system of norms, which has been arranged by certain
people at a particular time and place
o National state borders are not material, but it is because of human
consciousness and awareness that we can differentiate for example one state
from another
CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHES
- Analyzes norms and practices of individuals and groups
- Does not believe in political structure, because it tells nothing about state behavior
- Examines the identity, how identities change, how cultures influence politics, a
political behavior
- “question everything, introduce totally new answers”
- they accept the international systems is anarchic, however, believe that anarchy is
what states make of it
- definition of power is important for constructivists but they do not see power as a
material term, rather as a power of ideas, culture, or language
- constructivists attempt to find the sources of power therefore they examine general
concepts not levels
- there are no right or wrong answers only individual perspectives.
NICHOLAS ONUF
- Constructivist view
o Constructivism introduced to IR by Onuf
o Acc. To Onuf: ‘international relations form a bounded and distinctive social
reality.’
o International social reality highly influenced by political relations, although it
lacks the element of authority (sovereignty)
CORE IDEAS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
- Focus -> human awareness or consciousness and its place in world affairs
- Reject such a one-sided material focus: most important aspect of international
relations is social, not material
o What we believe to be material is actually created through social norms and
human awareness
- World of international relations not a physical entity or material object that is outside
human consciousness
- International system exists only as a common understanding among people: the
system is constituted by ideas, not by material forces
- Set of ideas, body of though, system of norms, which has been arranged by certain
people at a particular time and place
o National state borders are not material, but it is because of human
consciousness and awareness that we can differentiate for example one state
from another
CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHES
- Analyzes norms and practices of individuals and groups
- Does not believe in political structure, because it tells nothing about state behavior
- Examines the identity, how identities change, how cultures influence politics, a
political behavior
- “question everything, introduce totally new answers”
- they accept the international systems is anarchic, however, believe that anarchy is
what states make of it
- definition of power is important for constructivists but they do not see power as a
material term, rather as a power of ideas, culture, or language
- constructivists attempt to find the sources of power therefore they examine general
concepts not levels
- there are no right or wrong answers only individual perspectives.
NICHOLAS ONUF
- Constructivist view
o Constructivism introduced to IR by Onuf
o Acc. To Onuf: ‘international relations form a bounded and distinctive social
reality.’
o International social reality highly influenced by political relations, although it
lacks the element of authority (sovereignty)
