ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES
OF IPE
Lecture Outline
Constructivism
Feminism
Wag the Dog and Constructivism
Wag the Dog Movie Trailer:
“Producing” a War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-FXkjr9Mc&feature=related
Constructivism
International relations is a social construction
Anarchy
Alliances
Institutions
States
IPE Structures
Historical
Political
Cultural
Human action and
meaning is the key
Constitution of IR
Identities
Interests
Institutions
Major Themes in Constructivism
Change as explained by different contexts
Emphasis on social dimensions of international
politics
Anarchy is a product of certain context (that is open to change)
norms, rules and language and how material and ideational
factors combine in the construction of different outcomes
Emphasis on Actors and processes of interaction
Actors make choices in the process of interacting with others
bringing historically, culturally and politically distinct
‘realities’ into being
Feminism: Sex vs. Gender
Sex
• Biological
• Pregnancy
• Given
Gender
• Social
• Child Care
• Outcome of
imposition of
particular view
of the right
social order
Socially Constructed Gender Attributes
Masculinity
Autonomy
Sovereignty
Objectivity
Universalism
Rationality
Femininity
Dependence
Loyalty
Subjectivity
Particularism
Emotional
Major Characteristics of Feminism
Major Starting Point: Women's lives and experiences are
excluded in thinking and theorizing in IR, as are female
scholars (Mainstream IR = malestream IR). Major concepts
are not neutrally defined.
Thinking of IR only as the high politics of war ignores the
consequences of military action on the social and material
survival of communities, especially of women.
Being concerned to look for women in politics leads to
gender-sensitive research. Examples include:
evaluating the role of women in third world development;
the effect on security policies on women lives;
the gender-particular effects of the activities of international
organizations.
Recap: Mercantilism, Liberalism, Marxism
Mercantilism
Liberalism
Marxism
Representative
Scholars
List
Smith
Marx
Major Concern
State
Market
Society
Key Words
National Interests
Free Market
Class Struggle
Units of Analysis
States
Individuals
Economic Classes
Major Argument
Critiques
