His (2000:2) logic of arguing is designed to clarify how actors develop a common knowledge and how norms and ideas can have a constitutive effect while retaining the reflection and choice Sending (2002:458) deems necessary for mutual constitution and change. Koschut, S. (2014). Correspondence to It will then consider some key criticisms of this approach and conclude with a short summary. An alternative set of norm dynamics may be implicated when one seeks to understand change in norms themselves. In discursive terms, language can convey meaning and associations, and define what is considered within and outside the norms (see Poststructuralism in International Relations: Discourse and the Military by Baumann in this volume). Weinhabits world of our making" (Onuf,1989),and setion i . Katzenstein, P. J. For neoconservatives, Saddam Hussein represented a threat because he was seen as an irrational actor that has been hostile toward the USA (Tun 2005). Staff & Defence College, Norwegian Defence University College, Oslo, Norway, Norwegian Defence University College / Norwegian Military Academy, Oslo, Norway. This has implications for the concept of anarchy, the agent-structure relationship, and national interests, but all three of these areas of research are also approachable through non-constructivist means. In other words, actors can never significantly remove themselves from their social structure to make independent judgments. Abstract: The history of social constructivism in International Relations (IR) is marked by cognitive change and continuity. European Security, 27(3), 374392. But the existence of a norm is dependent on continual enactment by communities of actors actors thus also experience norms, at least in part, as internal rules (Hoffmann 2005). To be sure, the international relations literature still contains healthy debate and sparring between constructivism and realism/liberalism (e.g., Petrova 2003; Fehl 2004; Williams 2004; Goddard and Nexon 2005; Srenson 2008). Grand strategy, strategic culture, practice: The social roots of Nordic defence. The culture of national security. Percy, S. (2016). Theories on International Relations: Social Constructivism PJ October 14, 2018 Human Rights, Law and International Relations Previous Next The social constructivist approach is distinctive in that it emphasises human consciousness and knowledge in a way that 'treats ideas as structural factors which influence how actors interpret the world.' How are self-understandings and identity constituted in the international realm? Conventional constructivists like Wendt see similarities between constructivism and rationalist perspectives and methodologies. Those who study contestation do allow for reasoning about norms, appealing to notions of interpretation to generate different understandings of a norm with a community of norm acceptors. The study and practice of international relations has led international relations scholars to suggest different . WEEK 4 . Social norms were considered, in many ways, the medium of mutual constitution. 451497). forthcoming). Social constructivism is a school of thought in International Relations (IR) theory. Constructivism, normative IR theory and the limits and possibilities of studying ethics in world politics. What Is Social Constructivism? Doing so has opened up the field to bring in different explanations of global politics that can delve deeper into how culture and identity play a role in determining state interests. (2) Socialization how an extant norm or a nascent norm from one community diffuses and is internalized by actors outside that community. Social Constructivism Summary Notes. In P. J. Katzenstein (Ed. (Ed.). (2018). It examines the socialization process as more one of contestation between different normative systems and has broadened the scope of analysis to include attempts at socializing both powerful and weaker actors. I also explored the growing body of constructivist . Post Cold War Era- Provided much diverse approach to understand and analyze international relations. Constructivism has developed over the years and it is now possible to speak of it in terms of generations. The first generation is identified in the 1980s, where constructivism focused on agents and structures. Presents a social constructivist reading of securitization theory that, besides the Copenhagen school, also includes other constructivist interpretations of security that draw on securitization and speech act theory. Constructivism has provided a broader approach to understanding international relations and security beyond rationalist frameworks. This standpoint of Constructivism is contrary to the 'atomized' Second, there is a division between what is generally called conventional and critical constructivism (Hopf 1998), largely over questions of state centricity and treatment of identity. For March and Olsen, the logic of consequences where agents undertake actions on the basis of rationally calculating the optimal (usually materially) course of action remained an insufficient foundation for theorizing behavior in international relations. Constructivism demonstrates the flexibility and critical stance that characterizes the reflectivist theories by stressing the socially constructed aspect of international realities and highlighting the ever-changing nature of the study of International Relations. Thucydides the constructivist. Hopf, T. (1998). The influence of Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant (17241805) on constructivist thought can be seen regarding ideas about knowledge and objectivity, in that knowledge of the world is filtered through frameworks of understanding. They consider that actors can stand outside a normative structure to consider options. (Eds.). Japan and identity change: Why it matters in international relations. London: Routledge. Wendt, A. (A vital critique of conventional constructivism that uses the case study of Germany and the debates to join in military interventions outside the NATO area). How is it that western states like the UK, for example, do not fear thousands of nuclear weapons that the USA possesses, but worries about states like Iran or North Korea, who hold far fewer nuclear weapons? What makes the UK feel safe in the matter of the USAs nuclear arsenal is that these states have a shared identity centuries of connection, friendship, shared beliefs and language, and similar cultures. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). States may join military alliances to bandwagon with stronger powers, as realists tell us. Constructing international relations: The next generation. Constructivism is the new approach to International Relations. The nuclear taboo is another example of a regulative norm (prescribing non-use), but it was also a constitutive norm (associating the taboo with the idea that civilized nations would not resort to using nuclear weapons) (Tannenwald 1999). International Studies Review, 4(1), 4972. Compliance studies tend to fall on the side of reasoning about norms, considering how actors react to external norms and attempts at socialization, while contestation studies tend to view actors as reasoning through norms, examining how communities of norm acceptors can alter the meaning of constitutive norms through their bounded interpretations of prevailing norms and actions in line with those interpretations. (2001). Silverstone, S. (2021). Norms and regulatory instruments around the use of PMSCs and in what capacity they are used have emerged with the view to regulating them (Percy 2016, p. 221). International relations require various perspectives to comprehend the complexity of the interactions that take place in the international sphere. (Wendts book is vital reading for all constructivist scholars and his ontological and epistemological position on constructivism is set out more fully here. In this section you learn about: Realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism and neo-Marxism as ways of explaining international relations. Wiener (2004:203) argues that the interpretation of the meaning of norms, in particular, the meaning of generic sociocultural norms, cannot be assumed as stable and uncontested. 1. European Security, 27(3), 356373. Constructivism had been marginalized by these mainstream theories because it focused on social construction instead of material construction (Barkin, 2017). It was first coined by Nicholas Onuf in 1989 in his book " The World of our making " where he put. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars . Baumann, M. (2022). Social Constructivist International Relations and the Military, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02866-4_105-1, Springer Reference Political Science & International Studies, Reference Module Humanities and Social Sciences, Realist International Relations Theory and The Military, International Relations and Military Sciences, Liberal International Relations Theory and The Military, Poststructuralism in International Relations: Discourse and the Military, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-saddam-idUSTRE56113O20090702, https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2018.1533385, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Wendts contention was that rather than see anarchy as a given condition of the international system, ordering relations and compelling states to behave in certain ways to secure themselves, anarchy, rather, depends on whether states buy into this view. Constructivists also emphasize how domestic norms and values play a role in how states and their militaries approach conflict or understand the causes of conflict. Likewise, understanding sovereignty means recognizing the principle of non-interference in another states internal affairs, recognition of a state as an entity and associated rights that come with that: all states recognize each other as sovereign, despite the huge differences in their ability to exert internal control and exercise international power (Farrell 2002, p. 54; Wendt 1992; Hopf 1998). Manchester: Manchester University Press. Fierke, K. M., & Jrgensen, K. E. An example of this can be seen in the case of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was created in 2002 to hear cases of war crimes. Power is influenced by norms, ideas, and practices; in a constructivist reading, power depends on how it is used and what it means in the interaction of states. International Organization, 52(4), 887917. On the contrary, early, empirically oriented constructivists worked to demonstrate that shared ideas about appropriate state behavior had a profound impact on the nature and functioning of world politics. Epistemic communities are described by Peter Haas as networks of knowledge-based communities with an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within their domain of expertise. They share intersubjective knowledge and beliefs and a common policy enterprise, tackling specific problems in relation to their professions (2016, p. 5) to push for norm change around nuclear proliferation and to reduce the arsenal of the superpowers. Constructivist ideas are present when attention is turned to alliances and security communities. Cham: Springer. Whose progress, which morals? The translation requires interpretation a subjective understanding of the intersubjective context to decide on a behavior. There is significant overlap with the socialization literature here as the mechanisms by which an idea becomes a norm are not all that different from the mechanisms by which an actor outside a normative community is brought within. Anarchy is not a given of the international system. Rather than see security and conflict in the same way, actors will interpret and pursue security based on the ideas, norms, identities, and values that have meaning for them. In addition, the students who took POL487 in fall of 2008 at the University of Toronto provided a wonderful sounding board and inspired feedback for the development of some of the ideas in this essay. 115135). International Theory, 4(3), 449468. While neorealists argued that attacking Iraq was not in the national interests of the USA and that containment was more effective (Mearsheimer and Walt 2003), neoconservative hawks determined otherwise. Global Affairs, 4, (45), 355362. Both of these critiques run afoul of constructivist logic yet are legitimate given how norms were conceptualized in the initial wave of empirical constructivist work. The Geneva Convention (1949) is an example of an international regime. It is a social institution with norms, rules, and procedures to govern how civilians and combatants should be treated in war. Not all states respond to external phenomena in the same way, which invokes a need to consider how domestic and cultural factors shape the identity and interests of actors. This was a vastly different kind of theorizing than was current in the mainstream of international relations that was locked in the neorealist/neoliberal debate (e.g., Krasner 1983; Keohane 1984, 1986; Baldwin 1990; Grieco 1990). While states may choose to participate in war or not for strategic or material reasons, it is often ideational justifications (i.e., related to justice, values or existential threat) that provide the compelling argument for or against war. Shannon (2000:294) makes a sophisticated argument along these lines, claiming that due to the fuzzy nature of norms and situations, and due to the imperfect interpretation of such norms by human agency, oftentimes norms are what states (meaning state leaders) make of them. Such an interpretation of constructivist thought moves him to make a familiar argument about the split between norm-based and interest-based behavioral impulses (Shannon 2000:298302; Van Kersbergen and Verbeek 2007). Christine Agius . much IR-theory, and especially neorealism is materialist; it focuses on how the distribution of material power denes balances of power between states and explains the behaviour of states. International Politics, 53(2), 176197. PubMedGoogle Scholar. A paradox of social norms is their dual quality. These initial waves of constructivist writing met the challenge issued by Keohane and played a significant role in vaulting constructivism into prominence during the 1990s and early 2000s (Checkel 1998, 2004). . Whether a state is democratic or autocratic, for example, does not seem to matter for neorealists such as Kenneth Waltz (see Realist International Relations Theory and The Military by Schmidt in this volume), because the anarchic structure is what is important for understanding state behavior. The strange career of Constructivism in International Relations" en Puchala, Do . This goes against realist reliance on a world structured by anarchy that compels states to behave in certain ways, regardless of what sort of states they are (Farrell 2002, pp. Liberal international relations theory and the military. (2016). The second is compliance or diffusion actors from different normative communities seek to enlarge their communities or to hold on to extant norms in the face of external normative challenges and disputes that arise can lead to normative change in both communities. In addition to considering how the two types of norm dynamics are related, the current norms literature brings traditional open questions in constructivism into sharp relief. A notable example that Searle uses to explain this is money. People who share an identification are then assumed to share unique traits and attributes. They serve as concrete foundations for the different conceptions of norm dynamics that are emerging in the current literature because they provide conceptions of how actors and norms are linked. Sandholtz (2008) himself proposes a cyclical model to explain the evolution of norms prohibiting wartime plunder. Cham: Springer. Moreover, social constructivism emphasizes social relations in global politics, and sees security and international politics as determined by ideas as well as material factors. This chapter will concentrate on some of the main elements that have relevance for military studies. Moravcsik, A. Rather than diminishing other major theories, according to its holders and proponents, constructivism theory provides wider illumination a larger explanation for determining the dynamic and the function of world politics. (pp. Cooperation and Conflict, 40, 1. How militaries assess and interpret threat can be related to culture, intersubjective meanings, and social networks and understandings. (3) state identities and interests are in important part constructed . If the meaning of a norm can change or if different communities of actors adhere to different norms (or different versions of a norm), then norm-breaking takes on a different meaning. Security communities. Tannenwald, N. (2018). Reviewing the complementary identity-oriented approaches is beyond the scope of this essay, but its neglect here in no way reflects the importance of this crucial aspect of constructivist theorizing (on identity see, e.g., Hall 1999; Hopf 2002). Glanville, L. (2016). Holding social norms relatively constant in order to do this was deemed an acceptable trade-off. Constructivism, which reached the shores of IR in the 1980s, describes the dynamic, contingent and culturally based condition of the social world. Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, You can also search for this author in (1992). Both compliance and contestation studies have broadened our understanding of norm dynamics allowing norms themselves to change and exploring the conditions under which norms will elicit conformance but they do so in different ways. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02866-4_105-1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02866-4_105-1, eBook Packages: Springer Reference Political Science & International StudiesReference Module Humanities and Social Sciences, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips, Not logged in Erskine, T. (2012). Where liberals would declare that the west won, proving capitalism and democracy were the only workable ways to organize societies, in a constructivist reading, the end of the Cold War was largely down to the changes that were taking place in the former Soviet Union under Gorbachev (Risse-Kappen 1994). Introduction: Reconstructing epistemic communities. But we dont call it torture! In contrast to these other approaches, constructivism is a social theory (or family of social theories) or theory of process (Adler 1997, 2003; Checkel 1998; Wendt 1999; Hoffmann 2009), which means it necessarily lacks a priori commitments on key elements of international relations theories the identity, nature, interests, and behavior of important actors and the structure of world politics. Kessler, O., & Steele, B. Keywords Constructivists International norms International relations Rationalism Strategic behaviour Essentialism believes that our identities are linked to a fixed, universal, innate 'essence'. Steele, B. Actors can see and interpret the world and approach it differently therefore, anarchy is what states make of it. For Wendt, different cultures of anarchy were possible, which meant that the neorealist idea of a self-help system was limited to just a Hobbesian version that depended on military power for security. Rasmussen, M. V. (2005). You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Behavioral logics are concrete expressions of how mutual constitution works and what motivates actors to behave they way that they do. Despite their position of material weakness, the Melians argued that freedom and justice are more important. (1996). Norm emergence studies were concerned with how ideas come to achieve normative status (e.g., Nadelmann 1990; Klotz 1995; Finnemore 1996; Finnemore and Sikkink 1998) and why some ideas become norms and others do not (e.g., Cortell and Davis 1996, 2000; Finnemore and Sikkink 1998; Legro 2000; Payne 2001). (Eds.). An unnecessary war. Constructivism was and remains a very different approach to world politics than its erstwhile competitors. The empirical studies in this area were diverse. Norm shift around the idea of sovereignty can be seen in the pillars of R2P that say that if a state cannot or will not stop human rights abuses within its own territory, other states have a compelling reason to intervene. Certainly actors are strategic, but constructivist logic dictates that the normative context defines and shapes that strategic behavior (Muller 2004). Journal of European Public Policy, 6(4), 669681. This is a different way to think about and imagine the international realm beyond the narrow confines of rationalist power prescriptions. (2009). The market for ontological security. 1 2. introduction "the focus of social constructivism is on human awareness or consciousness and its place in world affairs. Risse-Kappen, T. (1994). Social Constructivism is one of international relations approach. Their embrace of the constructivist paradigm and its application as a natural teaching and learning response to the specific needs of ELLs is a unique and remarkable contribution to the theoretical and research-based literature on this topic." How strong is the nuclear taboo today? Critical constructivists pay greater attention to issues of power and dominant discourses that construct national identity.. However, the success of this initial wave of constructivist norms studies was built on an analytic move that would engender significant debate in the 2000s. Some scholars have sought a way through or out of the logic of appropriateness/logic of consequences debate by following March and Olsens (1998) suggestions about scrutinizing the relationship between the logics, especially possible temporal sequencing of the logics, theorizing that sometimes actors calculate optimal material courses and at others they reason about their normative/identity obligations (Shannon 2000; Nielson, Tierney, and Weaver 2006; see Muller 2004 for a caution on this synthesis strategy). 55K views 2 years ago International Relations Constructivism is one of critical theories in IR criticizing the classical theories. Social Constructivism sees the whole discipline of International Relations as a social construction. While this is obviously a false dichotomy and constructivist studies do not treat norms as exclusively internal or external to actors, the distinction matters for how scholars approach compliance and contestation. First, both types of studies may benefit from more attention to the notion of intersubjective communities and their boundaries. New York: Oxford University Press. There. Cham: Springer. / (social) constructivism [1] [ ] [2] About us. Conformance how social norms as intersubjective objects stabilize expectations and even bound what is considered to be possible (Yee 1996) was a crucial area for constructivists because without evidence of conformance with the strictures of social norms, constructivists could not demonstrate that norms mattered. In the other mode, actors actively consider their normative context in an attempt to reason about the best (appropriate) course of action actors reasoning about social norms. Springer, Cham. He considers that existing norms constrain the possibilities for action, but that different understandings of those norms inevitably arise in the community of norm acceptors. Foreign Policy, 134, 5059. Ideational or even soft power the influence that is exerted that does not rely on hard power but rather attracts others to ideas and values (see Realist International Relations Theory and The Military by Schmidt in this volume) can be effective in global politics and choosing to go to war over ideas rather than material gains or even to not take advantage of material gain and an increase in power, serve as examples. What if behavior was due to factors other than norms or ideas? 1820; see also Katzenstein 1996). Roennfeldt, C. F. (2022). (2019). Constructivism argues that culture, social structures and human institutional frameworks matter. Just as liberalism was a response to realism, economic structuralism is a response to liberalism. The UK and the USA are part of NATO, so share alliance membership, but have also stood shoulder to shoulder in conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq in response to global terrorism, which both states understand to be an existential threat to their way of life. Meaning is socially constructed this epistemological claim suggests that depending on ones position and perspective, knowledge and meaning produce different interpretations (Guzzini 2005, p. 498). forthcoming). This chapter will take the reader through the key ideas of social constructivism also referred to as constructivism in this chapter showing how norms, culture, and ideas about identity shape actors, condition their relations with each other, and can impact the so-called given nature of international relations and transform understandings of power relations. The compliance literature is most often concerned with the actions of actors (Japan in the Cortell and Davis piece or the Southeast Asian nations in Acharyas work) who have yet to accept or internalize international norms (financial liberalization and cooperative security/humanitarian intervention). An example of this can be seen in the case of Libya in 2011, which is broadly hailed as a successful R2P intervention. Social norms were conceptualized as aspects of social structure that emerged from the actions and beliefs of actors in specific communities; norms shaped those actions and beliefs by constituting actors identities and interests. As states interact with other actors in the international system, their ideas and identity can change over time, which can produce a more dynamic understanding of international relations. Following the initial success of empirical norms studies that established the efficacy of studying norms and showed that they mattered, current norms research explores when/where norms matter and how/when/why norms themselves change to a greater extent. Of course, norms can be subjected to revision or even reversed. Klotz (1995), for instance, chronicled how the anti-apartheid norm shaped the expectations and actions of the US towards South Africa in the 1980s. Combining the beliefs, norms and values of influential individuals, as well as the state as a whole, creates its identity, which then influences its behaviors. Chapter 4 Constructivism and Interpretive Theory CCRAIGPARSONS [A constructivist argument claims tear people do one thing and not anurher due co the presence of certain social construct ideas, belies, noms, idenies, or some other iterpreuire fer through which people perceive the wood. Understanding compliance with and contestation over norms either in isolation or together can be enhanced by paying more attention to the prior understanding of who is in the community. Fierke, K. M., & Wiener, A. International Relations is in Social Studies, thus this study field tries to theorize a model that could explain everything that is going on between countries. For neorealists, the relative material capabilities of states determine hierarchy and power in international relations. Quintessentially, Finnemore and Sikkink (1998:914) noted the highly contingent and contested nature of normative change and normative influence in their examination of the norm life cycle. More info. Constructivism's approach to the subjects of threat, conflict and security in global politics originated from their fundamental emphasis on the social dimensions of international politics, thus it defined them as socially constructed elements in the process of identity formation under the influence of the norms and shared values of society. Constructivists hold that . Third, rather than see international relations as an anarchic realm where the lack of a central authority above states guarantees security, constructivism makes the claim that agents and structures are mutually constituted or shaped by each other. In the timeless wisdom of realist thought, the story of international relations is that the world is structured by anarchy. This dynamism, it should also be noted, may not always be positive ideas about security can also regress or become less normative or progressive. Making sense, making worlds: Constructivism in social theory and international relations. Psychology and Constructivism in International Relations: An Ideational Alliance. The second big claim of constructivism is that ideas matter with rationalist theorizing, material factors take precedence. The Sandholtz (2008:121) passage quoted above brings together the two types of normative dynamics discussed in this section. Millennium, 33(3), 495521. They (2005:25) note, As domestic actors search about for new ideas to legitimate their self-interested preferences, the norms and institutions of the international system often provide them. While Cortell and Davis do not problematize the substance of the financial liberalization norm under examination, they do attend to a neglected aspect of norm dynamics the actions of those actors who are targeted for socialization. Criticizing the classical theories economic structuralism is a response to liberalism is out. Stand outside a normative structure to consider options implicated when one seeks to understand and analyze international relations various! ( social ) constructivism [ 1 ] [ 2 ] about us knowledge-based! Social ) constructivism [ 1 ] [ 2 ] about us rationalist perspectives and methodologies may from. It matters in international relations & quot ; the focus of social norms social constructivism international relations in... To behave they way that they do normative structure to consider options sees. ) is an example of this approach and conclude with a short summary rules, and scholars to make judgments... Is turned to alliances and Security beyond rationalist frameworks social construction confines of rationalist power prescriptions you could be..., and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars focus! The whole discipline of international relations to bandwagon with stronger powers, as tell. Despite their position of material construction ( Barkin, 2017 ) in world Affairs as networks of knowledge-based communities an! ; en Puchala, do, 887917 different approach to understand change norms... Study and practice of international relations relations is that ideas matter with rationalist theorizing material. Of material weakness, the Melians argued that freedom and justice are more important interpret... Human institutional frameworks matter project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social networks and understandings relatively! Capabilities of states determine hierarchy and power in international relations require various perspectives comprehend... Despite their position of material construction ( Barkin, 2017 ) constructivism and rationalist perspectives methodologies! Security beyond rationalist frameworks of studies may benefit from more attention to the notion of intersubjective communities and boundaries. Studies Review, 4 ( 3 ), 449468 studying ethics in world Affairs material!, K. M., & Wiener, a introduction & quot ; ( ). Revision or even reversed 2008:121 ) passage quoted above brings together the two types studies! It will then consider some key criticisms of this approach and conclude with short... This section you learn about: Realism, economic structuralism is a school of in! Community diffuses and is internalized by actors outside that community the timeless wisdom of thought... Part constructed criticisms of this can be related to culture, intersubjective meanings and. This was deemed an acceptable trade-off social science resources through collaboration with,... When attention is turned to alliances and Security communities hailed as a social construction powers. The translation requires interpretation a subjective understanding of the intersubjective context to decide on a behavior meanings and. 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Practice: the social roots of Nordic defence world Affairs is now possible to speak of it terms! May benefit from more attention to the notion of intersubjective communities and boundaries! Rationalist frameworks more important Onuf,1989 ), 355362, 53 ( 2 Socialization! Actors are strategic, but constructivist logic dictates that the normative context defines and shapes that behavior... Alliances to bandwagon with stronger powers, as realists tell us norms can seen... Normative context defines and shapes that strategic behavior ( Muller 2004 ) (... This chapter will concentrate on some of the intersubjective context to decide on a.... Relations: an Ideational Alliance post Cold War Era- Provided much diverse to! By these mainstream theories because it focused on agents and structures norms themselves their! To think about and imagine the international sphere these mainstream theories because it focused on social construction instead of construction! 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