Class 18 - Constructivism and Feminism Flashcards
Constructivism challenges realism, as realism cannot explain how:
(1) change occurs
(2) identities are formed
Constructivist assumptions
(1) Ideas matter and shape human behaviour and organization.
(2) Ideas affect people’s preferences and the strategies to achieve them
Alexander Wendt argues that anarchy in the international system is more than just the absence of overarching authority
a) anarchy is what states socially made of it
b) even in anarchy there are types of order that states create
c) very debatable (realists reject that anarchy is anything)
Critical Theory/Post-Modernism
(1) Reality is defined by discourse
(2) Determining a perspective of reality depends on the reference point of the viewer
(3) Reality is therefore relative
(4) Discourse represents power relations
(5) Critical theorists seek to liberate individuals by deconstructing language and narratives to dismantle constraints imposed by language relations.
Feminist Post-Modernist Assumptions
(1) The structure of language domination has given rise to two sets of ideas: a feminine set (nurturing and cooperation) and a masculine set (domination).
(2) There are no behavioural differences between men and women
(3) International state of affairs if largely a product of the domination created by the masculine ideal
(4) Feminine ideals are desirable because they are life-giving and male ideals are
undesirable because dominating.
The six feminist critiques of realism (J. Ann Tickner to Morgenthau)
(1) Objectivity is masculine, so dynamic objectivity is better
(2) National interest is not simply about power, but is multidimensional and
interdependent.
(3) Power is not a universal concept (masculine): it misses collective empowerment
(feminine).
(4) Normative and empirical inseparable.
(5) Moral aspirations of nations cannot be reconciled with universal moral principles,
but there are common moral elements.
(6) Denies the autonomy of the political.
