The emergence and evolution of an external actor’s regional role: An interactionist role theory perspective

Abstract

The regional roles external actors play, such as ‘China’s role in Africa’ or ‘the US role in East Asia’, have long been popular subjects of analysis in the international relations literature. Yet, the emergence and evolution of these roles remains remarkably under-theorized. While some ‘new regionalist’ scholars have discussed the dynamics of an external actor’s regional involvement by referring to the concepts of ‘penetration’ and ‘socialization’, neither concept, this article argues, is sufficiently equipped to capture how external actors come to aspire and realize their regional roles. To address this shortcoming, the article employs an interactionist role theory perspective, which draws on the work of social psychologist George Herbert Mead. In following this perspective, the article argues that external actors develop regional role aspirations as they draw on their creativity and reflexivity to overcome experienced uncertainties. To realize these aspirations, the article suggests, external actors seek to cast significant others into corresponding roles. Alter-casting, the article argues in this context, is critical for understanding the (re)constitution of an external actor’s regional role, and thus a region’s social structure.

Interactionist role theory meets ontological security studies: an exploration of synergies between socio-psychological approaches to the study of international relations

“…IRT constitutes a particular strand of role-theoretical theorizing in IR, which draws extensively on the works of social psychologist George Herbert Mead (1934), as well as, if to a lesser extent, on Alexander Wendt’s 2 application of Meadian concepts in his constructivist theory of international politics (1992, 1999). Like the OSL, IRT primarily concerns itself with the social emergence of an international actor’s ‘self’ in society (Harnisch, 2011b, 2012; Klose, 2018, 2019; McCourt, 2011, 2012, 2014; Wehner, 2015; Wehner and Thies, 2014). Concretely, it argues that an international actor, like an individual, emerges through the development of an image of its ‘self’, and the making and playing of roles, which allow that image to be expressed and stabilized in societal interaction.…”

“…its financial means) and social resources (e.g. its knowledge or status), as well as its creativity and the social expectations of others (Klose, 2018: 1149, 2019: 430). Following IRT, individuals – as they project and negotiate a particular image of society in the interaction with others – thus take a more or less significant part in the emergence of the social structures that come to represent an international actor’s image of ‘self’.…”

“…Following this perspective, IRT suggests that international actors, like individuals, are driven by pressures to realize and solidify their ‘self’ in society through the making of roles and casting of others, whereby their ability to succeed in doing so hinges on their creativity and resources as well as others’ expectations (Harnisch, 2012: 54; Klose, 2019: 430). Following IRT, it is through both the imagination and societal realization of its ‘self’ that an international actor can provide routines, which allow it to serve (its constituent’s, as well as significant other’s) (self-)expectations and (self-)confidence.…”

Deconstructing citizen science: a framework on communication and interaction using the concept of roles

“…According to role theory, an individual has various roles in life that come with expectations on how to behave and this is associated with a particular social status [Linton, 1936;Miebach, 2010;van der Horst, 2016]. Role theory is not restricted to specific research fields and is applied in, for example, political sciences [Klose, 2019], the processes of identity construction in business [Simpson and Carroll, 2008], and sex/gender or family research or international relations [van der Horst, 2016].…”

Regional international organizations in Africa as recipients of foreign aid: Why are some more attractive to donors than others?

“…The dominant standpoint in the scholarly literature maintains that RIOs are driven and shaped ‘from within’ by members-states and intra-regional actors (see Börzel and Risse, 2016; Mattli, 1999). While a growing literature emphasizes the role of external pressures and partners in the promotion of regionalism and RIOs (Buzdugan, 2013; Jolliff Scott, 2020; Katzenstein, 1996; Klose, 2019; Krapohl, 2017; Söderbaum, 2016), knowledge about external funding, which is one of the core instruments that external actors rely on when seeking to influence RIOs from the outside, remains limited.…”