Quiz #4 Flashcards
What is constructivism?
an IR theory that is concerned with the role of identities and social practices in the international system
What’s the general history of constructivism?
coined after the Cold War, as there was a belief that realism and liberalism (the two dominate theories at the time) were unable to explain or predict how it ended, so constructivism tried to fill that gap
What are the cornerstones of constructivism?
- International relations are a social construct that has the potential to change
- there is nothing natural/given in social practices (analyze this with ontology and epistemology)
What’s the money example?
money, specifically in the case of the United States, has a certain meaning ascribed to it and should it lose that meaning it also loses its significance (it becomes nothing more than just a sheet of paper)
What are the main beliefs of constructivism?
- constructivism does not see states as rational egoist actors in the international system
- does not reduce states to the material level
- sees the state as the central actor in the international system
Why do identities matter?
because they give actors interests, they are a explanation for why states act the way they do
What does constructivism argue?
identities shape how states think about their interests (CONTEXT is needed)
normative/ideational structures are just as, if not more, important as material
Why does the statement “anarchy is what states make of it” matter?
by Alexander Wendt
anarchy can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the meanings that states ascribe to it (circles back to the belief that IR is always changing)
the structure of anarchy is not given by constituted of mutual agreements of norms and rules
How does anarchy affect the relationships between states? What is the example given to this question?
Within anarchy, relationships can either be amity (like GB and the US) or enmity (like N. Korea and the US)
ex. during WW2, the US and Soviet Union were on good terms bc. they had a common enemy, but once the war was over those feelings were abandoned and the Cold War started
Where do social phenomena (such as alliances) come from?
built on the basic material of human nature, but take products of human interaction to form (norms)
define the logic of consequences
if I do this thing, what do I get out of it? (realism)
- what’s the consequence of an action, not the morals
- structure constrains sts
define the logic of appropriateness
considers of an action is appropriate, based on norms
focused on norms and shared values
define mutual constitution (& its ex)
agents (human beings, sts) impact the structure (environment) & vice versa
- realism thinks its only the structure
- ex. overtime, people have come to believe nuclear weapons cause too much harm, which then became engraved in our environment which then impacts how we act
