Constructivism in

International Relation
Presented by
Asfand Yar
Farooq Ahmad
Muhammad Akhtar
Momna Sheikh
Broad layout
 Introduction
 What is constructivism
 Rise of constructivism
 Key assumptions
 Major constructivist
 Theory
 Visualizing theory
Introduction
Constructivism theory emerged in mid
1990 as a serious challenge to dominant
realist and liberal theoretical paradigm.
What is constructivism?
 In international relation, the
constructivism is a claim that
significant aspects of I.R are
historically and socially constructed
rather then inevitable
consequences of human nature.
 The behavior of humans is determined
by their identity, which itself is shaped
by society’s values, history, practices
and institutions.
 Constructivists holds that all
institutions, including the state are
socially constructed.
Rise of constructivism
 Failure of dominant IR theories to explain the
end of cold war ( cold war did not end through
conflict).
Key Assumptions
 Identities, norms and culture play
important role in world politics.
 Identities and interest of state are
simply structurally determined but are
rather produced by interactions, norms
and culture.
 According to view the fundamental
structure of international politics are
social rather then strictly material.
 Constructivism primarily seek to
demonstrate how core aspects of I.R
are socially constructed.
 Challenges realist and liberals on their
conceptions of the state and state
interest, arguing that both are
constructed and subject to change.
 Ideas (separate from power) plays an
important role in shaping international
relations.
Major constructivists
 Constructivist are called Constructivist
because they focus on how reality is
socially constructed:
 Nicholas Onuf
 Alexander Wendth
 Martha Finnemar
Nicholas Onuf
 Nicholas Onuf is an American scholar and
author born in 1941.
 He was the first theorist
who used the term
“constructivism” in I.R.
Alexander Wendeth
 Alexander Wendt (born 12 June 1958) is
a political scientist who
is one of the core 
social constructivist 
scholars in the field of 
I.R.
Wendt theory
 He challenge the assumption of neo realism
that casual power attributed to structure.
 He said that structure is constructed by social
practices.
 In 1992, an article by Wendt “ Anarchy is what
state makes of it: the social construction of
power politics” lead the theoretical ground work
of constructivism.
Martha Fennimore
 Martha Fennimore born in 1959 is a
prominent constructivist
scholar of I.R.
 Her work circles around
social values, norms and
culture, not power.
 Martha Fennimore suggests that the
norm of international society affect
state identities and interest.
 State behavior is defined by identities
and interest.
 The identities, ideas and norms lead to
new social construct.
Constructivism theory
Ideas

Norms

Social Construct
Ideas
 Ideas are building blocks of constructivism.

 Ideas defined and can transform world

politics, how ideas influence state
identities, interest and foreign policies.
Norms
 Principles or believes about cassations and how
social process work.

 For constructivist, the principles and norms are

embedded in system and define the actor that
are part of system.

 Change in norms lead to change the state

behavior.
Social construct
 Social construct formed through shared
norms.

 The new social construct should

replaces the old one with the passage
of time.
Example
Visualizing theory
Realism Constructivism
(Power) (Idea)

Liberalism
(Institution)