POL208Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Root Mean Square, Secularism, Neocolonialism
28 May 2018
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Monday, May 14, 2018
POL208
Constructivism-Critical Approaches !
-Helps explain why a limited North Korean nuclear arsenal has been seen as more of
a threat than a vast British one !
-A social theory (that aims to predict but a set of assumptions about the world) that
offers a framework for understanding agency and structure!
-Emerge in the 1990’s, after the end of the Cold War amidst identity-based ethnic
conflict, during the unipolar moment of the US and a new series of challenges to the
international system !
-Unlike other theories it incorporates the role of ideas as causal factors (contrasts
with the prevailing materialism of other approaches)!
-Inspiration from sociological theories, instead of micro-macro economics !
-This setting (context) can guide and provide agents/states with an understanding of
their interests (it can constitute them)!
-While realism separate structure and process (that is structure- process)
constructivists suggests that structure are also affected by process (structure <—>
process, interests) this is called structuration: system affects the players and the
players affects the system !
-E.G. in the international system structure is determined by the distribution of
capabilities, which influences how states behave like participate in alliances. But
participating in alliances produces different configuration of states with power, which
changes the previous distribution of capabilities (structure) !
-Principles of self-help and power political are socially constructed !
-Key concepts have no meaning until the actors identity has been established… and
ones identity also matters to ascertain…!
-E.G. NATO’s eastward expansion after the Cold War to incorporate former
communist countries into its military alliances- Baltic countries NATO is positive for
them freedom from Russia, In Russia it is negative, we will lose all of our countries-
context matters !
What does it stand for?!
#1
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Monday, May 14, 2018
1. Statism: states are rational, while !
2. Wheres in realism and liberalism the nature of the structure of the international
system has to do with distribution of material !
- Anarchy to Realism is conflict, Liberalism anarchy can also mean competition or
cooperation !
- For Constructivism: Anarchy does not mean anything until there is some sort of
context (is what states make of it). !
-Thus it is collective meanings (social context) that gives meaning to material
structures for example, anarchical system populated by friends is very different from
an anarchical populate by enemies !
-At the same time inter- subjective practices (interaction) between actors lead to the
formation of identities and interests that is how identities and interests form !
-To understand meaning, one has to examine the world from the perspective of the
actors themselves !
-Don’t have uniformity- different goals at certain periods, societal changes changes
the identity of the state !
Basic Propositions !
1. Interests and preferences are socially constructed (which makes them flexible
rather than fixed, enduring)!
2. Ideas are more important as forces that shape preferences, identity, etc!
3. Rationality is always contextual !
Main Tenets/Pillars!
1. The spread of norms: they are collective understandings and expectations that help
define actors interests and identities not just regulate their behaviour as liberalists/
institutionalist claim ————logic of appropriateness (normative construction of
attitudes) vs. Logic of consequence (interest maximization e.g. land mines are a
cheap effective weapons yet they are foresworn by many state due to a norm about
their terrible consequences) Norms i. Emerge (norm entrepreneurs use various
techniques) like lobbying, persuasion, shaming to promote them ii. Cascade (are
adopted by may states) and iii. Becoming Internalized (they are taken for granted)
Examples: slavery or female suffrage (right to vote) !
#2
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