Constructivism

Question 1

What is Constructivism

Answer 1

paradigm based on the premise that world politics is a function of the ways that states construct and then accept images of reality and later respond to the meanings given to power politics; as consensual definitions change, it is possible for either conflictual or cooperative practices to evolve.
People have agency and can reflect on their environment and change

Question 2

What is the Constructivist Worldview?

Answer 2

Our understanding of the world is individually and socially constructed
–Intersubjective human action (thought communities/ prevailing attitudes create beliefs, based on shared social experiences, etc.)
–We “Build” reality through ideas & values; The world is not a given, but “made” & “remade” (Imagined Communities)
Identity, norms, social interactions matter
–Meaning of concepts depends on shared knowledge
–How the world works, what is unchangeable, what can be reformed
Social Context is important to understanding the international system/ international relations
–No set national interest; elements of sovereignty can/will change and evolve
–Importance of NGOs & human rights
–Not state-centric
Ideas and interests of actors can/may change
Norms
–Generalized standards of behavior that, once accepted, shape collective expectations about appropriate conduct.

Question 3

Constructivism – some examples … Where do these come from??

Answer 3

Sovereignty
–Rule for state behavior & diplomatic practice
–Slowly eroding?
–International human rights norms – R2P
–Limiting civilian casualties in warfare
When did militaries become concerned and why?
–Europe – Years and years of conflict
1945-present 🡪 “zone of peace”
–Realism = continued conflict
–Why not?

Question 4

The Evolution of Constructivist Thought

Answer 4

Emerged after fall of Soviet Union, rise of religious fundamentalism, and growth of micro-nationalism
Peaceful end to the Cold War not foreseen by liberalism or realism
Social constructivism
–variant of constructivism that emphasizes the role of social discourse in the development of ideas and identities
Agent-oriented constructivism
–variant of constructivism that sees ideas and identities as influenced in part by independent actors.
New norms
A new strand of constructivism emphasizes intersubjective instability and the role of psychology in shaping ideas and practices

Question 5

Limitations of Constructivism

Answer 5

General social scientific framework as opposed to a theory or a paradigm
Lacks specific assumptions about world politics
Not sure which factors cause which ideas to become dominant
Supplements rather than supplants realism and liberalism

Question 6

Pioneering Influences on Constructivist Thought 

Answer 6

Many constructivists have been influenced by critical theory, especially as it was developed by Max Horkheimer (1947), and Jurgen Habermas (1984). Rather than viewing the world as a set of neutral, objective “facts” that could be perceived apart from the situation in which observation occurred, critical theorists saw all phenomena as being embedded within a specific sociohistorical context ascribing normative meaning to information.
Although constructivists have offered “path-breaking perspectives in the study of international politics” that share certain distinctive themes, some argue that constructivism is not a theory as such, but rather a general social scientific framework or “meta-approach.” Whereas theoretical paradigms embrace a set of assumptions about how politics work, “constructivism is a set of assumptions about how to study politics,” and hence is compatible with a variety of paradigms. Along this line of argument, constructivism supplements rather than supplants realism and liberalism.