The Social Self in International Relations: Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

The Social Self in International Relations : Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism. / Adler-Nissen, Rebecca.

In: European Review of International Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2016, p. 27–39.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Adler-Nissen, R 2016, 'The Social Self in International Relations: Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism', European Review of International Studies, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 27–39.

APA

Adler-Nissen, R. (2016). The Social Self in International Relations: Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism. European Review of International Studies, 3(3), 27–39.

Vancouver

Adler-Nissen R. The Social Self in International Relations: Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism. European Review of International Studies. 2016;3(3):27–39.

Author

Adler-Nissen, Rebecca. / The Social Self in International Relations : Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism. In: European Review of International Studies. 2016 ; Vol. 3, No. 3. pp. 27–39.

Bibtex

@article{a0b26aa680ba40a9a52ac9730526a614,
title = "The Social Self in International Relations: Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism",
abstract = "This article argues that symbolic interactionist sources of the first generation of constructivists in IR theory are worth recovering because of their ability to address what constructivists have always wanted to understand – the social construction of world politics. Symbolic interactionism is more or less implicit in key claims of canonical works of the first generation of constructivism in International Relations (IR) theory. However, constructivism lost some of its potential to address everyday experiences and performances of world politics when it turned to norm diffusion and socialisation. The second generation of constructivists generated rich insights on the construction of national identities and on patterns of foreign policy, but did not fully exploit constructivism{\textquoteright}s analytical potentials. Contrary to what most IR scholars have come to believe, symbolic interactionists saw the self as a deeply social – not a psychological or biological – phenomenon. Symbolic interactionism is interested in how inherently incomplete and fragile selves are constructed and deconstructed through processes of inclusion, exclusion and shaming. Today, third generation constructivists are returning to the sociology of Erving Go man and Harold Gar nkel and other symbolic interactionists to address problems of identity, power and deviance in international politics.",
keywords = "Faculty of Social Sciences, Goffman, Wendt, Constructivism, International Relations Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, Identity, Power, Practice Theory, Garfinkel, Mead, Self, social self, Social constructivism, Goffman, Constructivism, Internatioanl Relations Theory, Social Self, Identity, Power, Self, Garfinkel, Mead, Social constructivism, Practice Theory, Wendt, Symbolic Interactionism, international relations discipline",
author = "Rebecca Adler-Nissen",
year = "2016",
language = "English",
volume = "3",
pages = "27–39",
journal = "European Review of International Studies",
issn = "2196-6923",
publisher = "Verlag BarbaraBudrich",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Social Self in International Relations

T2 - Identity, Power and the Symbolic Interactionist Roots of Constructivism

AU - Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - This article argues that symbolic interactionist sources of the first generation of constructivists in IR theory are worth recovering because of their ability to address what constructivists have always wanted to understand – the social construction of world politics. Symbolic interactionism is more or less implicit in key claims of canonical works of the first generation of constructivism in International Relations (IR) theory. However, constructivism lost some of its potential to address everyday experiences and performances of world politics when it turned to norm diffusion and socialisation. The second generation of constructivists generated rich insights on the construction of national identities and on patterns of foreign policy, but did not fully exploit constructivism’s analytical potentials. Contrary to what most IR scholars have come to believe, symbolic interactionists saw the self as a deeply social – not a psychological or biological – phenomenon. Symbolic interactionism is interested in how inherently incomplete and fragile selves are constructed and deconstructed through processes of inclusion, exclusion and shaming. Today, third generation constructivists are returning to the sociology of Erving Go man and Harold Gar nkel and other symbolic interactionists to address problems of identity, power and deviance in international politics.

AB - This article argues that symbolic interactionist sources of the first generation of constructivists in IR theory are worth recovering because of their ability to address what constructivists have always wanted to understand – the social construction of world politics. Symbolic interactionism is more or less implicit in key claims of canonical works of the first generation of constructivism in International Relations (IR) theory. However, constructivism lost some of its potential to address everyday experiences and performances of world politics when it turned to norm diffusion and socialisation. The second generation of constructivists generated rich insights on the construction of national identities and on patterns of foreign policy, but did not fully exploit constructivism’s analytical potentials. Contrary to what most IR scholars have come to believe, symbolic interactionists saw the self as a deeply social – not a psychological or biological – phenomenon. Symbolic interactionism is interested in how inherently incomplete and fragile selves are constructed and deconstructed through processes of inclusion, exclusion and shaming. Today, third generation constructivists are returning to the sociology of Erving Go man and Harold Gar nkel and other symbolic interactionists to address problems of identity, power and deviance in international politics.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - Goffman

KW - Wendt

KW - Constructivism

KW - International Relations Theory

KW - Symbolic Interactionism

KW - Identity

KW - Power

KW - Practice Theory

KW - Garfinkel

KW - Mead

KW - Self

KW - social self

KW - Social constructivism

KW - Goffman

KW - Constructivism

KW - Internatioanl Relations Theory

KW - Social Self

KW - Identity

KW - Power

KW - Self

KW - Garfinkel

KW - Mead

KW - Social constructivism

KW - Practice Theory

KW - Wendt

KW - Symbolic Interactionism

KW - international relations discipline

M3 - Journal article

VL - 3

SP - 27

EP - 39

JO - European Review of International Studies

JF - European Review of International Studies

SN - 2196-6923

IS - 3

ER -

ID: 173123399