Wag the Dog

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 

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Emphasis on social dimensions of international politics 

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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 

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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