scholarly journals Creating the Human Security Discourse and the Role of the Academic-Policy Complex: International Relations as “Japanese Social Science”?

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josuke IKEDA
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Human Security ◽  
Security Discourse ◽  
Academic Policy

9. Constructivism

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Fierke
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
War On Terror ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Theory Versus

This chapter examines the key debates that have shaped the development of constructivism in International Relations (IR). It first considers the idea that international relations is a social construction, as it emerged from the critique of more traditional theories of IR. It then explores the distinctions among various constructivisms, with particular emphasis on the contrast between those who seek a ‘better’ social science, and hence better theory, versus those who argue that constructivism is an approach that rests on assumptions at odds with those of positivist method. The chapter proceeds by discussing constructivists' critique of rationalism, along with constructivism as a ‘middle ground’ between rationalist and poststructuralist approaches to IR. It also analyses the role of language and causality in the debate between rationalists and constructivists. Finally, it links all these insights to the War on Terror.

scholarly journals A pragmatic methodology for studying international practices

2019 ◽  
pp. 175508821987917
Author(s):  
Sasikumar S Sundaram ◽  
Vineet Thakur
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Science Inquiry ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Semantic Field ◽  
Central Thesis ◽  
Practice Turn

Practice turn marks an important advancement in International Relations theorizing. In challenging abstract meta-theoretical debates, practice theorizing in International Relations aims to get close to the lifeworld(s) of the actual practitioners of politics. Scholars from different positions such as constructivism, critical theory, and post-structuralism have critically interrogated the analytical framework of practices in international politics. Building upon these works, we are concerned with a question of how to examine the context of international practices that unfolds in multiple ways in practitioners’ performances. Our central thesis is that a distinct pragmatic methodology offers an opportunity to keep with the practice turn and avoid the problematic foundational moves of mainstream practice theorizing. This involves foregrounding three interrelated processes in examining practices: the role of exceptions in the normal stream of performances, normative uptake of the analysts, and the semantic field that actors navigate in political performances. We argue that this methodology is predicated on its usefulness to interpret practices through reflective social-science inquiry.

Conclusion

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Power Analysis ◽  
International System ◽  
International Relations Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Military Power ◽  
Policy Options

The preceding chapters examined power analysis as a tool of social science and the concept of power in international relations theory from both historical and analytic perspectives. This chapter reviews the evolving role of the concept of power in international relations theories, summarizes the case for the contemporary relevance of a Dahlian approach to power analysis, and suggests guidelines for future research on the role of military power in international relations. It concludes with a consideration of the overall value of power analysis, including the clarification of policy options, understanding success and failure, understanding the role of power in the international system, and accountability.

scholarly journals The Response of the Hermeneutic Social Sciences to a ‘Post Carbon World’

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Redclift
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Environmental Economics ◽  
Back Seat ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
The Social

Abstract: Sociology has taken a ‘back seat’ in much of the debate, within policy and social science circles, about ‘post-carbon’ societies, in which our dependence on hydrocarbons is significantly reduced. The low profile of sociology does not reflect a lack of relevance, but rather an inability to follow up on the debates being generated in several congruent areas, including geography, international relations and particularly environmental economics. Sociology has much to contribute to the discussion of societal alternatives, not least in the work being undertaken on utopias and governance. It is suggested that sociologists can enhance the role of the social science disciplines, and that of sociology in particular, by re-engaging in the wider discussions, lending a hermeneutic understanding to the current policy debates about responding to climate change.

scholarly journals Between philosophy and social science: Harm and its object in International Relations

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Hoseason
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Adequate Account ◽  
Ontological Realism ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAs a discipline, IR returns repeatedly to the ‘problem of harm’; debating what harm is or should mean. Exploring the discipline through this lens allows us to understand it as contributing to a broader process of negotiation centred on harm as a principle of restraint. However, existing accounts of what harm means for IR are challenged by the scale and visibility of large-scale harm. This article attempts to push beyond recent accounts of harm by Linklater and Mitchell by examining their respective framings of the relationship between harm and its explanation in IR. Building on their limitations, I propose a framework centred on arguments for ontological realism and structure as a focus for explanation. The resulting ontology sustains the concerns of both while: (a) more fully characterising the relationship between explanation and values in IR; and (b) providing a more adequate account of the role of abstraction. In developing upon existing accounts, this article seeks to provide a stronger ground for the analysis of harm in IR. More broadly, it contributes to contemporary debates centred on the relationship between ontology and values with a view to clarifying the nature of explanation in IR as a social science.

9. Constructivism

2020 ◽  
pp. 162-181
Author(s):  
K. M. Fierke
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
War On Terror ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Theory Versus

This chapter examines the key debates that have shaped the development of constructivism in International Relations (IR). It first considers the idea that international relations is a social construction, as it emerged from the critique of more traditional theories of IR. It then explores the distinctions among various constructivisms, with particular emphasis on the contrast between those who seek a ‘better’ social science, and hence better theory, versus those who argue that constructivism is an approach that rests on assumptions at odds with those of positivist method. The chapter proceeds by discussing constructivists’ critique of rationalism, along with constructivism as a ‘middle ground’ between rationalist and poststructuralist approaches to IR. It also analyses the role of language and causality in the debate between rationalists and constructivists. Finally, it links all these insights to the War on Terror and the war on Covid-19.

The Justice Motive in International Relations: Past, Present, and Future

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Welch
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Normal Science ◽  
Empirical Social Science ◽  
Justice Motive ◽  
Recent Trends

Modern empirical social science is unique in denying, dismissing, or discounting the role of justice considerations in human behavior. A relatively small group of International Relations (ir) scholars have attempted to address this lacuna, with limited uptake to date. The articles in this issue collectively seek to move this research program forward. In this essay, I explore various conceptual, epistemological, methodological, and sociology-of-the-field issues that may be responsible for its limited traction thus far and argue that only the last represents a serious obstacle. Whether recent trends and developments inirindicate that the time may finally be ripe for a robust normal science on the role of justice considerations in international politics remains to be seen, but negotiation theorists are in the best position to move it forward.

scholarly journals Embracing ontological doubt: The role of ‘reality’ in political realism

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamila Stullerova
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Political Realism ◽  
Normative Judgment ◽  
Empirical Reality ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Classical Realism

While a number of scholars argue that classical realism is conspicuously similar to critical international relations, this article takes an issue with such an interpretation. It does not challenge the observation that both approaches are comparable when it comes to ethical concerns and a related critique of modernity, but it puts forth an argument that they differ fundamentally when it comes to their basic intellectual motivation and purpose. This also makes classical realism more ready to formulate normative judgment. To articulate what provides for the ethical impetus in classical realism, the study turns to the work of Stephen Turner and his collaborators who illuminate Weberian sources of classical realist social science. Adopting the category of analyticism from Patrick Jackson, it further puts forth that normative judgment is linked to classical realism’s inherent ontological doubt, a feature it compensates for by focusing on epistemology necessitating constant engagement with empirical reality as a source of its (weak) ontological orientation. As a result, classical realism is reinforced here as an approach to international relations worth reviving and further developing.

Michael Kelly, Hilary Footitt, Myriam Salama-Carr (eds.): The Palgrave Handbook of Languages and Conflict

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ľubomír Zvada
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
War And Conflict ◽  
Almost All

This Handbook maps the contours of an exciting and burgeoning interdisciplinary field concerned with the role of language and languages in situations of conflict. It explores conceptual approaches, sources of information that are available, and the institutions and actors that mediate language encounters. It examines case studies of the role that languages have played in specific conflicts, from colonial times through to the Middle East and Africa today. The contributors provide vibrant evidence to challenge the monolingual assumptions that have affected traditional views of war and conflict. They show that languages are woven into every aspect of the making of war and peace, and demonstrate how language shapes public policy and military strategy, setting frameworks and expectations. The Handbook's 22 chapters powerfully illustrate how the encounter between languages is integral to almost all conflicts, to every phase of military operations and to the lived experiences of those on the ground, who meet, work and fight with speakers of other languages. This comprehensive work will appeal to scholars from across the disciplines of linguistics, translation studies, history, and international relations; and provide fresh insights for a broad range of practitioners interested in understanding the role and implications of foreign languages in war.

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