Constructivism in International Relations the Politics of Reality
Constructivism in International Relations The politics of reality Maja Zehfuss University of Warwick 25579CCB 42:58 84 ,2:581:B:C.2:/2CBD4CCC9 ,2:58,CB7DB22:22CCambridge Books9CCB Online 42:58© Cambridge 84CB University 9CCB5: Press, 8 2009 ,0 PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarcón 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://www.cambridge.org© Maja Zehfuss 2004 First published in printed format 2002 ISBN 978-0-511-49179-5 OCeISBN ISBN 0-521-81544-4 hardback ISBN 0-521-89466-2 paperback 25579CCB 42:58 84 ,2:581:B:C.2:/2CBD4CCC9 ,2:58,CB7DB22:22CCambridge Books9CCB Online 42:58© Cambridge 84CB University 9CCB5: Press, 8 2009 ,0 Constructivism in International Relations Maja Zehfuss’ book offers a fundamental critique of constructivism, fo- cusing on the work of Wendt, Onuf and Kratochwil. Using Germany’s shift towards participation in international military operations as an illustration, she demonstrates why each version of constructivism fails in its own project and comes apart on the basis of its own assump- tions. Inspired by Derridean thought, this book highlights the political consequences of constructivist representations of reality. Each critique concludes that constructivist notions of key concepts are impossible, and that this is not merely a question of theoretical inconsistency, but of politics. The book is premised on the notion that the ‘empirical’ and the ‘theoretical’ are less separate than is acknowledged in inter- national relations, and must be read as intertwined.
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