Flashcards on Constructivism in International Relations
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Constructivism in International Relations
120 cards
Card 1
Question: Who is most commonly associated with introducing constructivism to international relations (1992), and what is the title of his article?
Answer: Alexander Wendt; the article 'Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics' (1992).
Card 2
Question: Who preceded Wendt in introducing constructivism to the field, and in what year?
Answer: Nicholas Onuf in 1989.
Card 3
Question: What main problem does Wendt's critique of the neorealist perspective address?
Answer: Neorealists argue that anarchy necessarily leads states to competition and the maximization of their own security; Wendt criticizes this determinism,
Card 4
Question: How does Wendt define the relationship between state identity and interests?
Answer: Identity is the basis for interests: actors define their interests in the process of defining situations and their own identity.
Card 5
Question: According to Wendt, what are institutions in the context of international politics?
Answer: Institutions are relatively stable structures of identities and interests, often codified as rules or norms, which gain motivational force through soc
Card 6
Question: Why is 'self-help' not necessarily the only logic in the international system, according to Wendt?
Answer: Because 'self-help' is just one possible institution within anarchy; there are also examples of more cooperative security systems, which demonstrates
Card 7
Question: What mechanism does Wendt propose for the transition from structure to agency?
Answer: It is necessary to consider the intersubjectively constituted structure of identities and interests within the system, which emerges through the proce
Card 8
Question: Describe the 'Alter and Ego' example that Wendt uses.
Answer: Two mythical aliens, Alter and Ego, meet for the first time and, through signaling, interpretation, and responses, create shared intersubjective meani
Card 9
Question: Under what conditions, according to Wendt, can actors change their identities and interests?
Answer: When there is a reason to see themselves in new terms—for example, due to new social circumstances—actors can critically reflect on and, through their
Card 10
Question: How does Wendt connect rationalist and reflective traditions in international relations?
Answer: He develops a constructivist argument drawing from structural and symbolic-interactionist sociological approaches, thereby building a bridge between r