POL208Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Émile Durkheim, Neoliberalism
Document Summary
Historical roots: a newer approach to the study of international relations, distinctiveness comes from the nature of its theoretical arguments, constructivism is about human consciousness and its role in international life, emile durkheim. Considered how ideational factors in social life had effect on outcomes. Emphasized that ideas have a social force: max weber. It is the actors themselves that construct meaning in the world. What is constructivism: the focus on material interests and power provided by realist and neoliberal institutionalist approaches has made important contributions, but they: Assume the identities and interests of states. Assume that the identities and interests are xed. Mostly ignore the role of ideas and normative factors in world politics. Mostly ignore the social dimensions of international relations: constructivists want to know what is going on before the realist or neoliberal models kick in. Where do identities and interests come from. What is the social dimensions of state relationship and behaviour: constructivists argue that:
