Lost in translation: a critique of constructivist norm research

Abstract

In their attempt to explain change in international politics, an emerging group of scholars in the 1990s emphasised the importance of 'non-material factors'. Questions about the creation, evolution, and impact of norms obtained a prominent place in their theorising. Cast in a constructivist frame, this norm research promised to be a viable alternative to established approaches and while it has indeed broadened the perspective on state behaviour in International Relations, we argue that at the same time it entailed major conceptual and methodological problems which have not yet been spelled out comprehensively. Mainly, the insight that norms are constantly renegotiated in social interaction has been lost in the translation of social-theoretical claims of early constructivism into empirical research agendas. The ensuing research is best characterised as a cultural-determinist framework which is ultimately ill-equipped for the initial proposition of explaining change. We develop this critique by reconstructing the theoretical and methodological decisions of constructivist norm research. We then propose to re-conceptualise the connection between norms and action and suggest an interpretive methodology that allows delivering on the ambitious promise to explain processes of normative change in international politics. We illustrate this claim by reviewing constructivist norm research on 'humanitarian interventions' and by outlining a relational-processualist perspective on this issue.

Gender Equality Oversimplified: Using CEDAW to Counter the Measurement Obsession

“…This approach to gender equality ideas has been generated by feminist constructivist International Relations (IR) scholarship (Krook and True ). Rather than thinking of norms as embodying a stable content, we assume that they are constantly being re‐negotiated and, thus, remain principally unfinished (Hofferberth and Weber ; Zwingel ; Liebowitz ). In the remainder of this section, we address two dimensions—actor‐ and context‐dependency—that contribute to creating the multiplicity of gender equality.…”

Certifying Private Security Companies: Effectively Ensuring the Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights?

“…11 Others have sought to open up the 'black box' of the corporation by elaborating on the socially constructed nature of corporate identity and interests, viewing corporations as socially situated actors responding to the norms and other institutions in which they are embedded while simultaneously engaging in creative acts to interpret and fit norms to their practices. 12 Whether applying, adapting or critiquing the constructivist literature, these authors are all indebted to two seminal models of norm diffusion: Finnemore and Sikkink's 'norm life cycle' 13 and Risse and Sikkink's 'spiral model.' 14 Both models describe various steps in the development and spread of norms from their creation to full uptake and adherence by the relevant actors, in this case PSCs.…”

The UK’s Relationship with Europe

“…Medrano also writes convincingly about the cultural embeddedness of a sense of difference from "the Continent." In addition, it avoids any potential problems with analysing change as highlighted by Hofferberth and Weber ( 2015 ). provides another useful example of how the thinking of the Copenhagen School can be brought to bear on the issue of European integration.…”