The Thrust of Wendtian Constructivism
Author
Summary, in English
The core of Alexander Wendt’s theorization of international politics consists in his intellectual endeavour to develop a theory of the international system as a “social construction,” which lies in stark contrast to the positivist and materialist conceptions of IR as theorized particularly by realists and liberalists. In fact, it is an originally “cultural” theory of international politics explained by different “cultures of anarchy” constructed by states themselves, which contests the “ontological atomism” and “epistemological positivism” both neorealism and neoliberalism as traditional theories of IR share in principle. Despite being a state-centrist scholar of international politics, Wendt criticizes neorealists and neoliberals for reifying the structure of states system and taking for granted its ontological and ideational properties, which precludes us from considering and assessing the potentials for structural and institutional change.
Publishing year
2011
Language
English
Full text
- Available as PDF - 141 kB
- Download statistics
Links
Document type
Report
Publisher
e-International Relations (e-IR)
Topic
- Political Science
Keywords
- Alexander
- Wendt
- constructivism
- anarchy
- state
Status
Published
Research group
- Politisk teori och metod
- Internationell politik