Social Constructivism

Social Constructivism

• Tends to see globalization as a force often presented by leaders as unchallengeable reality, but argues that it can be molded and shaped by changing social norms and actor identities. It suggests that seemingly "natural" structures and interests of world politics are socially constructed and thus open to change.

Background

• relatively new approach • Key challenger to 2 dominant IR theories: (neo)realism and (neo)liberal internationalism

• focus that identities, norms and ideas of states and other actors are important in shaping international relations

• role of language, discourse and symbolic practices help achieve these norms

Critique of traditional IR theory

• international politics is not solely determined by material factors, such as power and interest
  e.g. the people who actually ally make laws which shape states and institutions are initially ideas carried by individuals who lobby for them until they are codified

Key Concepts

• Constructivism is about human consciousness and the construction of reality

• It is important to take seriously the role of ideas in world politics
  Our mental maps are shaped by collectively held ideas, such as knowledge, symbols, language, and rules.

• This also influences states' identities and interests and consequently world politics

• The world is irreducibly social, but actors can construct, reproduce, and transform structures.

• Constructivism is a social theory, which is concerned with the interplay between structure and agency

• Individuals and states are produced and created by their cultural environment

• Symbols, rules, concept and categories (i.e., knowledge) shape how individuals construct and interpret their world

  
  

Diffusion

•  asks how particular models, practices, norms, strategies, or beliefs spread within a population

• occurs via coercion, strategic competition, pressures to secure resources, mimicking of successful models, the symbolic standing of certain models, and professional associations and expert communities

Socalisation

• Explains

• How states change so that they come to identify with the identities, interests, and manners of the existing members of the club

• How states, accordingly, change their behaviour so that it is consistent with that of the group

Life cycle of norms

•  1. Norm emergence

  • is often pushed by norm entrepreneurs, who frame issues in ways that promote their ideas (e.g. amnesty international norms for example).

• 2. Norm cascade

  • occurs as the norm diffuses, often because of pressure for conformity, desire for international legitimacy, or leaders' quests for enhanced self-esteem

• 3. Norm internalisation

  • means that the norm is taken for granted and is no longer contested

Criticisms

• overly focused on ideas and culture

• neglects material factors such as power and economics

• lack of empirical evidence

• some scholars point out that constructivism is simply a more specific form of liberal internationalism, as it simply adds a footnote on what is a norm and what is to belied done in the law can also change through individual entrepreneurship - other say that this is really a different kind of theory bc it doesn't necessarily focus on institutionalisation and putting something on the law - but its really focused on how does legitimacy of a norm come about in the first place, and the dynamic essence of laws.