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With these factors in mind, I turn to social constructivism to find a theory of international relations that is not particular to the specific subject matter of international politics, but rather to the question of general theory. Derived from a multitude of sources that include the "British School" of international politics, postmodern philosophy, and positivist social science, constructivist theory offers a means of moving beyond the stagnation of the popular neoliberal and neorealist theories of international relations.
Constructivist theory is addressed in this work for both its social scientific and philosophical offerings. The first two sections of this work look at the philosophy and social science of constructivist international relations theory and the philosophical and social scientific critiques of this theory. The third section looks at what constructivism offers to the study of international relations. After all, the root of constructivism is construct, so what is being constructed? I conclude this effort by looking at the value of constructivist theory as a systemic level offering to understand international relations. Specifically, what is required for a theory to be systemic and does constructivism qualify?.
Constructivism, Philosophy.
To explain the basics of constructivist theory I turn to Alexander Wendt and his Social Theory of International Politics (1999), which offers one of the most comprehensive looks at constructivist theory. Constructivist political theory holds that the structures of interaction are determined by shared ideas. Identities and interests are constructed by shared ideas. Wendt was not the first to explain human interaction this way. Lebow (2001) explains that Thucydides can actually be considered the father of constructivism, as his work explains how language and convention establish identities and enable power to be translated into influence (Lebow 2001, 547).
