Social Constructivism
John Baylis – International Relations
Chapter – 9
Table of Contents
Introduction
- Constructivism emerged quickly from humble beginnings to become a leading school in International Relations.
- Constructivism is recognized for capturing important features of global politics and is seen as a significant theory in international relations.
- Various versions of Constructivism share a concern with how ideas define the international structure.
- This structure shapes the identities, interests, and foreign policies of states.
- State and non-state actors reproduce and sometimes transform this structure.
- Focuses on the making and re-making of world politics, emphasizing global change.
- The chapter focuses on two key aspects of global change:
- The convergence of states around similar ways to organize domestic and international life.
- How norms become internationalized and institutionalized, globally accepted to the point of constraining actions and shaping ideas of legitimate behavior.
- Constructivism helps understand elementary features of the globalization of world politics.