Constructivism in International Relations: The Politics of RealityMaja Zehfuss' book offers a fundamental critique of constructivism, focusing on the work of Wendt, Onuf and Kratochwil. Using Germany's shift towards participation in international military operations as an illustration, she demonstrates why each version of constructivism fails in its own project and comes apart on the basis of its own assumptions. Inspired by Derridean thought, this book highlights the political consequences of constructivist representations of reality. Each critique concludes that constructivist notions of key concepts are impossible, and that this is not merely a question of theoretical inconsistency, but of politics. The book is premised on the notion that the 'empirical' and the 'theoretical' are less separate than is acknowledged in international relations, and must be read as intertwined. Zehfuss examines the scholars' role in international relations, worrying that, by looking to constructivism as the future, they will be severely curtailing their ability to act responsibly in this area. |
Contents
Acknowledgements | xi |
List of abbreviations | xiii |
Introduction | 1 |
Constructivism in International Relations | 2 |
Three constructivisms | 10 |
German military involvement abroad | 23 |
Plan of the book | 33 |
Identity change? Wendts constructivism and German military involvement abroad | 38 |
Words making the world | 153 |
The normative effects of speech acts | 171 |
success and failure | 178 |
The politics of words and worlds | 186 |
The politics of reality Derridas subversions constructivism and German military involvement abroad | 196 |
The impossibility of pure presence and the politics of the real | 197 |
The reality of international politics | 207 |
Everyday reality | 222 |
The identity move | 39 |
Collective identity | 56 |
Collective identity reconsidered | 63 |
The identity of identity | 84 |
Intersubjectivity and the normative Kratochwils constructivism and German military involvement abroad | 94 |
The significance of the normative | 95 |
Norms as the basis of intersubjectivity | 118 |
The politics of intersubjectivity and the normative | 135 |
Words and world Onufs constructivism and German military involvement abroad | 151 |
Reality as raw material | 236 |
The politics of constructivism | 245 |
The politics of constructivism | 250 |
Responsibility in international relations | 254 |
Constructivism reality International Relations | 259 |
264 | |
281 | |
Common terms and phrases
According action actors Alexander Wendt analysis argued argument armed forces asserted AWACS Basic Law behaviour Bonn Bosnia Bundesregierung Bundeswehr Bundeswehr-Auslandseinsätze CDU/CSU claim collective identity concept conceptualisation considered constitutional construction constructivism constructivist context crucial debate decision Deconstruction Defence Minister deployed deployment Der Spiegel Derrida Deutscher Bundestag Deutschland différance Foreign Minister foreign policy former Yugoslavia FRG's Friedrich Kratochwil Genscher German military involvement German soldiers Germany's Gulf Gulf War Ibid international military operations international politics International Relations interpretation intersubjectivity issue Josef Joffe Klaus Kinkel Kohl limit material meaning military involvement abroad mission NATO Nazi notion Onuf Onuf's participation in international partners peace Plenarprotokoll possible practice problem problematic question reality referred responsibility role Scharping significant situation social solidarity Somalia speech acts Spiegel STIP structure theory tion troops Volker Rühe Wendt whilst Wolfgang Schäuble words