constructivism Flashcards
what does it criticize in liberalism and realism?
the material thinking, and individualism
why did constructivism develop in the 90s?
the mainstraem theories failed to explain the end of the cold war
what are eclectic origins?
philosophy and sociology
core assumptions
- objects, events don’t have fixed meanings
- material/brute vs relational facts- same events can have different meanings because of social/historical relations
- states and national interests are not explicit- but constructed (no regular patterns- it may change over time)
- changes of perception of ir affects politics
- power is also discursice- power of ideas, norms.
Examples
Gorbachev’s new thinking- competition isn’t in Russia’s interest, reducing arsenal and adapting to live with the US
Who argued soft power.?
Nye
What is soft power?
trying to convince without meterial things, by using culture
co-constitution system
the world is what you believe it is, agents don’t exist in isolation from the structures they create.
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what is structure?
norms, rules, institutions, polarity
what is agent?
subjective, perceptions
structure X agent
structure constrains and options for actions !co-determination
agent X structure
practives (change or reproducing) !co-determination
self-fulfilling prophecy
everyone reinforces the state of anarchy, they sustain the condition of anarchy !! anarchy is not structural but asa a result of practice
nuclear deterrence
normative basis of nuclear non-use (demonstration effect)
norm life cycle names (3)
- emergence
- norm cascade
- internalization
regulative rules
regulate already existing activities- WTOs rules to regulate trade
constitutive rules
create the possibility for these activities.
rules info
both rules shape states as actors - but only constitutive rules shapes states as actors, and what counts as legitimate.
norm emergence
a norm entrepreneur calls attention to issues and dramatizes them in ways that capture the attention of the broader public
norm cascade
norm spreads through the rest of the population
norm internalization
when norms are no longer a matter of debate and are automatically honoured
logic of consequences
making choices by looking at the consequences, both negative and positive.
logic of appropriateness
making choices by looking at what is generally accepted to be the right thing