1

introduction

the focus of social constructivism is on human awareness
or consciousness and its place in world affairs. much IR-theory,
and especially neorealism is materialist; it focuses on how the
distribution of material power defines balances of power
between states and explains the behaviour of states. 
constructivists reject such a one-sided material focus..
They argue that the most important aspect of international
relations is social, not material.

does this make any sense? before we discuss
this, lets consider what else the author tells us

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introduction

The international system is not something out there like the
solar system. It does not exist on its own. It exists only as an
intersubjective awareness among people; in that sense the
system is constituted by ideas, not by material forces.

It [the international system] is a human invention or creation not of
a physical or material kind but of a purely intellectual and ideational
kind. It is a set of ideas, a body of thought, a system of norms,
which has been arranged by certain people at a particular time
and place.
does the author make more or less sense now?

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introduction

key point. constructivists are not arguing that reality is an illusion;
rather, they are arguing that the reality that surrounds us is not merely
a product of purely objective (or material) forces, but is essentially a
product of our shared perceptions, values, ideas, and understanding
moreover, constructivists argue that there is a
mutually constitutive or interactive relationship
between structures and actors (and with the
reality this interaction creates): this is referred
to as structuration (a concept coined by
anthony giddens)
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introduction

consider these examples 

states and the interstate system: both are artificial or

human-made constructs (that is they are decidedly not the
product of God or nature): if states and the interstate system are
made by men and women, moreover, then they can be changed
and developed in new ways

later, we will discuss two other examples:
anarchy and the security dilemma

the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points (and some repetition)



social theory tells us that the social world (that is, the world
defined by politics, economic, history, culture, institutions, and so
on) is not defined by nature, but by human beings



it tells us that, as a world defined by human beings, it is inherently
a world based on human consciousness: of thoughts and
beliefs, of ideas and concepts, of languages and discourses, of
norms and practices, of perceptions and misperceptions

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points



at the same time, social theory tells us the social world is in part
constructed of physical entities, but it is the ideas and beliefs
concerning those entities that are most important



in other words, physical elements are secondary to the
intellectual element which infuses it with meaning, plans it,
organizes it and guides it

agree? disagree? understand?

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

example. we all know that
this is a gun, but what does this
physical entity represent or mean?
does it represent: danger or safety?
repression or freedom? fun or destruction?
power or impotency? order or chaos?

key point. as a physical object, a guns
meaning is dependent on our interpretation

the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points



constructivism as social theory rests on an ideational view

The core ideational element upon which constructivists focus is
intersubjective beliefs (and ideas, conceptions and assumptions)
that are widely shared among people. Ideas must be widely
shared to matter; nonetheless they can be held by different
groups, such as organizations, policymakers, social groups or
society).

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

basic points: four types of ideas
1

ideologies: a systemic set of doctrines or beliefs

2 normative (or principled) beliefs: beliefs about right and

wrong; values and standards of behavior or conduct

3 causal beliefs: beliefs are about cause-effect relationships

(often expressed in theories)

4 policy prescriptions: specific programmatic ideas that facilitate

policymaking by specifying how to solve a particular problem

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the bigger picture: constructivism as social theory

additional points

constructivists are not nave: they understand the the current
reality has real, often deadly consequences, and that threats
and dangers cannot simply be ignored or dealt with through
wishful thinking



socially constructed realities, in short, are powerful
structures that have real consequencesconstructivists also
understand that, once created, social structures can be
extraordinarily difficult to change

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constructivist theories of international relations

constructivism as a social theory operates at a high level of
abstraction: it tells something about international relations, but it is
not concerned with IR specifically

constructivist theories of international relations, by contrast,
focus specifically on how a constructivist framework can be used
to better understand or explain the substance of iR

one of the most well known IR constructivists in
alexander wendt

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constructivist theories of international relations

basic point. anarchy is a social construction.
it is not inherently dangerous, unstable, or
scary; instead, it becomes so only when
states interpret it as such
however, it is not just interpretation that
matters, but also interaction with others
that create and instantiate one structure
of identities and interests rather than another;
structure has no existence or causal
power apart from process

constructivist theories of international relations

constructivist theories of international relations

in concrete terms, if the United States and
the Soviet Union decide that they are no
longer enemies, the cold war is over.
of course, this is largely what happened:
the soviet union decided the united states
was no longer a vital threat. and, once
the soviets did this, the US no longer felt
(as) threatened by the former soviet union.
the relationship underwent and major
transformation, which preceded any changes
in the structure of the international system!

constructivist theories of international relations

more formally, wendt argued that there are at least three different
types or cultures of anarchies, each of which can be internalized
by different actors to different degrees (see chart on following slide,
reproduced from reading)
key point. the fundamental nature of international
relationsthe significance of anarchy, in
particularis determined by the prevailing
interpretation and the degree of internalization

era of
imperialism

european
union
post-1945
interstate
system (among
lib. democracies)

pre-1945
interstate
system

state of nature

anarchy of
enemies;
self-help

social contract

idealism

anarchy of
friends; lots
of help from
friends

constructivist theories of international relations

a constructivist video break

the following videoan excerpt from

canadian baconhelps illustrate the
ideas of social constructivism,

check coursesite for video

http:instructional1.calstatela.edu/tclim

excerpt from canadian bacon (1995)

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