Constructivism : the limits of bridging gaps

Wiener, Antje (author)

The article discusses the input of constructivist research on international relations theory (IR). To that end, it reconstructs the central arguments of the so-called constructivist turn in IR, highlights the central constructivistinterest in theorising the impact of the social on world politics, assesses the theoretical output of constructivist positions, and scrutinises bridge-building efforts in IR. The constructivist's value-added is characterised as the focus on social ontologies, illustrated with reference to the role of norms in IR. The article demonstrates that, based on a principally different conceptualisation of norms as constitutive and regulative on one hand, and mutually constituted by the interrelation with social practices on the other, constructivists have settled into two distinct research strands. The significant difference between them lies in their respective transdisciplinary efforts in addressing the social. While the compliance approach follows a neo-Durkheimian structural understanding of social facts, the societal approach works with a Giddensian reflexive approachto the social construction of reality.

• Language: English
• Keywords: premoščanje, konstruktivizem, Durkheim, Giddens, norme, družbena dejstva
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2003
• Number of pages: Str. 252-275, 314, 316
• Numbering: Vol. 6, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135845
• UDC: 327
• ISSN on article: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 22605917
• Publication date in RUL: 30.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of international relations and development
• Shortened title: J. int. relat. & dev.
• Publisher: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre of International Relations
• ISSN: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76065792

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Konstruktivizem

Abstract

Članek razpravlja o prispevku konstruktivističnega raziskovanja teorije mednarodnih odnosov (MO), zato rekonstruira osrednje argumente t. i. konstruktivističnega preobrata v MO, označuje osrednji konstruktivistični interes za teoretiziranje vpliva družbenega na svetovno politiko, ocenjuje teoretične rezultate konstruktivističnih stališč in temeljito vrednoti prizadevanja v MO, povezana s premoščanjem (racionalizma in refleksivizma). Konstruktivistična dodana vrednost je označena kot osredotočenost na družboslovne ontologije in ponazorjena z odnosom do vloge norm v MO. Članek predstavlja, da so se konstruktivisti - na podlagi dveh poglavitno različnih pojmovanj norm, tj. kot konstitutivnih in regulativnih na eni strani in soustvarjenih z odnosi v družbi na drugi - razdelili na dve različni raziskovalni usmeritvi. Pomembna razlika med njima je povezana z njunimi prekodisciplinarnimi prizadevanji pri preučevanju družbenega. Medtem ko pristop, ki se osredotoča na uresničevanje norm, sledi neodurheimianskemu strukturalnemu razumevanju družbenih dejstev, družbeni pristop deluje skladno z giddensianskim refleksivnim pristopom k družbeni konstrukciji realnosti.

• Keywords: constructivism, Durkheim, Giddens, norms, social facts