SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY OF IR

1. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY OF IR BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

2. Intorduction • Social constructivism focuses on social side of IR or a sociological explanation of the discourse of IR. • That human awareness or consciousness and its place in IR. IR as a social construct. • That the study of IR must focus on ideas and beliefs that inform the actors on the international scene • Main Argument: reject the myopic or monolithic view of or focus of by realists who place emphasis on material aspects of IR such as military forces, eco power etc. • That IR is a social and thus ,the social reality is not objective, or external to the observer of IR.

3. On the connection between man and the international reality, argues that the natural world is made by God but the historical world is made by man (Pompa 1982) • The IR is not some kind of unfolding or evolving process that is external to human affairs. • Man and woman make their own history through interactions • The states which are critical actors in the IR are social constructed • States are artificial creation and the state system is artificial too. It is made by man and women and if they want to they can change it and develop it in new way.

4. Social constructs want to study IR subjectively and not objectively • According to Kant we can have knowledge about the world but it will always be subjective knowledge. This is because knowledge is created through human interactions • That is why we talk about IR as a social world-that is the world of human interaction

5. -Constructivism theory rejects the basic assumption of a neo-realists theory that the state of anarchy ( lack of a higher authority or gvt) is a structural condition inherent in the system of states. -That anarchy leads to self help -Constructivists rejects the inherent nature of anarchy and sees it as socially constructed. -According to Alexander Wendt, “Anarchy is what states make of it ” -they see Anarchy as a condition of the system of states becoz states in some sense “choose” to make of it -That anarchy is a result of processes that constructs the rules or norms that govern the interaction of states. _That state to state relations can change the anarchical nature of the international system (AlexanderWendt, “Anarchy is What States make of it (International Organisation; 46,2. 1992”)

6. That reality is constructed through human activity. Members of IR system together invent the properties of the world. • Individuals through interactions with each other and with their environment they live in and create IR. • So IR is not a passive development of behavior that are shaped by external forces. It claims that IR is socially constructed by individual that are engaged in the social political business. • According to (Wandt, 1987) anarchy is created through interactions of states/between states and it is through this interactions that identifies interest and goals of states are created • Wandt agrees with the realist view that the main goals of state is power and survival but: posits that sociological these material goods are only achieved through state interactions and natural. • Give an e.g USA/USSR conflict in the 1990s that if the USA and USSR had decided that the cold war is over, it would have ended quickly. • For its collective meaning that constitutes the structure that inform our actions –that state power are shaped by ideas of social ideas and interactions

7. For social constructivist looking at some cases of war, like arms race, and friction in general argues that these are not natural or inevitable outcomes but as a result of social interaction and shared ideas. • The social interaction between states can lead to more benign (Gentle and kind) and friendly cultures of anrachy