POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Unthinkable, Prospect Theory, Information Processing
Document Summary
Ir is a society that is socially constructed. It is not just a system of units bumping into each other. States are acting according to fundamental rules, norms and expectations, which they develop over time. These certain patterns of behaviour sustain the society. Those who violate these norms become social outcasts. Constructivists are interested in the specific roles that states have. The core of constructivism is the argument that the social interaction that the states have shape the state itself (their identity and interests). Emphasis is placed on agents, not on structure. They criticize realism and liberalism for stress on the system. Constructivists believe the structure does not completely constrain the actors. Wendt points out when the us and the. Constructivism focuses on the social, not the material. Syria is probably less worried about iran have a nuclear weapon than they are about israel"s weapons). Identities and interests are intersubjective, and agents who are active in the system construct them.