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introduction

“the focus of social constructivism … is on human awareness or consciousness and its place in world affairs. much IR-theory, and especially neorealism is materialist; it focuses on how the

distribution of material power … defines balances of power between states and explains the behaviour of states.

constructivists reject such a one-sided material focus.. They argue that the most important aspect of international

relations is social, not material.”

does this make any sense? before we discuss this, let’s consider what else the author tells us

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introduction

“The international system is not something ‘out there’ like the solar system. It does not exist on its own. It exists only as an intersubjective awareness among people; in that sense the

system is constituted by ideas, not by material forces.

It [the international system] is a human invention or creation not of a physical or material kind but of a purely intellectual and ideational

kind. It is a set of ideas, a body of thought, a system of norms, which has been arranged by certain people at a particular time

and place.”

does the author make more or less sense now?

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introduction

key point. constructivists are not arguing that “reality” is an illusion; rather, they are arguing that the reality that surrounds us is not merely

a product of purely objective (or material) forces, but is essentially a product of our shared perceptions, values, ideas, and understanding

moreover, constructivists argue that there is a mutually constitutive or interactive relationship

between structures and actors (and with the reality this interaction creates): this is referred

to as structuration (a concept coined by anthony giddens)

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introductionconsider these examples …

states and the interstate system: both are artificial or human-made constructs (that is they are decidedly not the

product of God or nature): if states and the interstate system are made by men and women, moreover, then they can be changed

and developed in new ways

later, we will discuss two other examples: anarchy and the security dilemma

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points (and some repetition)

social theory tells us that the social world (that is, the world defined by politics, economic, history, culture, institutions, and so

on) is not defined by nature, but by human beings

it tells us that, as a world defined by human beings, it is inherently a world based on human consciousness: of thoughts and

beliefs, of ideas and concepts, of languages and discourses, of norms and practices, of perceptions and misperceptions …

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points

at the same time, social theory tells us the social world is in part constructed of physical entities, but it is the ideas and beliefs

concerning those entities that are most important

in other words, physical elements are secondary to the intellectual element which infuses it with meaning, plans it,

organizes it and guides it

agree? disagree? understand?

the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

example. we all know that this is a gun, but what does this

physical entity represent or mean?

does it represent: danger or safety? repression or freedom? fun or destruction?

power or impotency? order or chaos?

key point. as a physical object, a gun’s “meaning” is dependent on our interpretation

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points

constructivism as social theory rests on an ideational view

“The core ideational element upon which constructivists focus is intersubjective beliefs (and ideas, conceptions and assumptions)

that are widely shared among people. Ideas must be widely shared to matter; nonetheless they can be held by different

groups, such as organizations, policymakers, social groups or society).”

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points: four types of ideas

ideologies: a systemic set of doctrines or beliefs

normative (or principled) beliefs: beliefs about right and wrong; values and standards of behavior or conduct

causal beliefs: beliefs are about cause-effect relationships (often expressed in theories)

policy prescriptions: specific programmatic ideas that facilitate policymaking by specifying how to solve a particular problem

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

additional points

constructivists are not naïve: they understand the the “current reality” has real, often deadly consequences, and that threats and dangers cannot simply be ignored or dealt with through

wishful thinking

socially constructed realities, in short, are powerful structures that have real consequences—constructivists also

understand that, once created, social structures can be extraordinarily difficult to change

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constructivist theories of international relations

constructivism as a social theory operates at a high level of abstraction: it tells something about international relations, but it is

not concerned with IR specifically

constructivist theories of international relations, by contrast, focus specifically on how a constructivist framework can be used

to better understand or explain the substance of iR

one of the most well known IR constructivists in alexander wendt

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constructivist theories of international relations

basic point. anarchy is a social construction.it is not inherently dangerous, unstable, or

scary; instead, it becomes so only when states interpret it as such

however, it is not just interpretation thatmatters, but also interaction with othersthat “create and instantiate one structure

of identities and interests rather than another; structure has no existence or causal

power apart from process”

constructivist theories of international relations

constructivist theories of international relations

in concrete terms, “if the United States and the Soviet Union decide that they are no

longer enemies, ‘the cold war is over.’”

of course, this is largely what happened:the soviet union decided the united states

was no longer a vital threat. and, oncethe soviets did this, the US no longer felt

(as) threatened by the former soviet union.the relationship underwent and major

transformation, which preceded any changesin the structure of the international system!

constructivist theories of international relations

more formally, wendt argued that there are at least three different types or cultures of anarchies, each of which can be internalized by different actors to different degrees (see chart on following slide,

reproduced from reading)

key point. the fundamental nature of international relations—the significance of anarchy, in particular—is determined by the prevailing

interpretation and the degree of internalization

“anarchy of

friends”; lots

of help from

“friends”

“anarchy of

enemies”;

self-help

post-1945

interstate

system (among

lib. democracies)

era of

imperialism

european

union

pre-1945 interstate

system

state of nature social contract idealism

constructivist theories of international relations

a constructivist video break

the following video—an excerpt from canadian bacon—helps illustrate the

ideas of social constructivism,

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excerpt from canadian bacon (1995)

check coursesite for video http:instructional1.calstatela.edu/tclim