IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rse/wpaper/v3y2012i1p122-127.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Beyond constructivism: expanding the boundaries of international relations theory

Author

Listed:
  • Nicole V.T. Lugosi

    (University of Alberta)

Abstract

One of the key research areas of Political Science is the field of International Relations (IR). Many scholars who speak of IR in terms of its Great Debates understand constructivism as the critical turn in theory. The main appeal of constructivism is the application of identity to IR problems. Interrogating the social construction of world order and considering identity as a factor enables scholars to offer better, deeper explanations. However, other scholars insist the constructivist turn is not critical enough and befalls some of the same traps seen in traditional approaches, namely essentialism. In this paper, I take the position that to engage in more meaningful dialogue about identity that challenges common knowledge and assumptions, we must move beyond constructivist approaches to advance the field of IR. This task is timely given increased academic attention to current social and economic issues in Europe.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole V.T. Lugosi, 2012. "Beyond constructivism: expanding the boundaries of international relations theory," Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research, Pro Global Science Association, vol. 3(1), pages 122-127, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:rse:wpaper:v:3:y:2012:i:1:p:122-127
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://reaser.eu/RePec/rse/wpaper/15_Rev3_Lugosi_Rel.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ruggie, John Gerard, 1998. "What Makes the World Hang Together? Neo-utilitarianism and the Social Constructivist Challenge," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(4), pages 855-885, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adela Toscano-Valle & Antonio Sianes & Francisco Santos-Carrillo & Luis A. Fernández-Portillo, 2022. "Can the Rational Design of International Institutions Solve Cooperation Problems? Insights from a Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-22, June.
    2. Christian Kaunert & Sarah Leonard & Ori Wertman, 2022. "Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Roxana Bobulescu, 2011. "Critical Realism versus Social Constructivism in International Relations," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 4(2), pages 37-64, May.
    4. Eero Palmujoki, 2009. "Global principles for sustainable biofuel production and trade," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 135-151, May.
    5. Felix Heiduk, 2015. "What is in a name? Germany’s strategic partnerships with Asia’s rising powers," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 131-146, June.
    6. Elliott Ash & Sharun Mukand & Dani Rodrik, 2021. "Economic Interests, Worldviews, and Identities: Theory and Evidence on Ideational Politics," NBER Working Papers 29474, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Kaminski Joseph Jon, 2019. "Rethinking Realism and Constructivism Through the Lenses of Themes and Ontological Primacy," Croatian International Relations Review, Sciendo, vol. 25(85), pages 6-29, November.
    8. Shenkar Oded & Arikan Ilgaz, 2010. "Business as International Politics: Drawing Insights from Nation-State to Inter-Firm Alliances," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(4), pages 1-33, January.
    9. Dong-Joon Jo & Erik Gartzke, 2007. "Determinants of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 51(1), pages 167-194, February.
    10. Hainmueller, Jens & Hiscox, Michael J., 2006. "Learning to Love Globalization: Education and Individual Attitudes Toward International Trade," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(2), pages 469-498, April.
    11. Sreya Maitra Roychoudhury, 2014. "State Securitization and Internal Ethnic Conflicts in India: Re-examining the Punjab Crisis," Jadavpur Journal of International Relations, , vol. 18(2), pages 155-173, December.
    12. Resnick, Danielle & Babu, Suresh & Haggblade, Steven & Hendriks, Sheryl L. & Mather, David, 2015. "Conceptualizing Drivers Of Policy Change In Agriculture, Nutrition, And Food Security: The Kaleidoscope Model," Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers 258732, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP).
    13. Di Tella, Rafael & Dubra, Juan, 2008. "Crime and punishment in the "American Dream"," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(7), pages 1564-1584, July.
    14. Mukand, Sharun W. & Rodrik, Dani, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 370, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    15. Dani Rodrik, 2014. "When Ideas Trump Interests: Preferences, Worldviews, and Policy Innovations," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 189-208, Winter.
    16. Jason Blazevic, 2010. "The Taiwan Dilemma: China, Japan, and the Strait Dynamic," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 39(4), pages 143-173.
    17. Flesken, Anaïd, 2014. "Researching Ethnic Relations as the Outcome of Political Processes," GIGA Working Papers 251, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    18. Michael A. Witt, 2019. "De-globalization: Theories, predictions, and opportunities for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(7), pages 1053-1077, September.
    19. Hoyoon Jung, 2019. "The Evolution of Social Constructivism in Political Science: Past to Present," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(1), pages 21582440198, February.
    20. Rodrik, Dani & Mukand, Sharun, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas: On Ideas versus Interests in Policymaking," CEPR Discussion Papers 12820, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    identity; constructivism; discourse; IR theory.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B59 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Other
    • F59 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - Other

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rse:wpaper:v:3:y:2012:i:1:p:122-127. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Manuela Epure (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/pgsaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.