Role theory research in international relations: state of the art and blind spots: Marijke Breuning

Abstract

Introduction Role theory promises to build an empirical bridge between agent and structure in international relations. Agents, or individuals working singly or in groups, are embedded in the social and cultural institutions of the states they represent as foreign policy decision makers. Their perspective on the world has been shaped by those institutions. These agents navigate the structure of the international system, which can present both opportunities and constraints: there are times when agents have ample opportunity to influence and alter the structure of the international system. At other times, agents have little opportunity to reshape preexisting roles. Role theory centrally concerns itself with this interaction between agent and structure. It is therefore rather surprising that role theory is largely absent from the theoretical debates regarding the agent-structure problem (e.g. Wendt 1987, 1999), as well as from the scholarship that investigates norms, identity, selfimage, and collective identity. Although role theory has often drawn upon scholarship in these areas, its connection with these literatures is tenuous and unidirectional. Role theory deserves to be better integrated, not only because it provides the link between identity and behavior, but also because it provides the tools that permit systematic empirical investigation of the relative importance of agent and structure as determinants of foreign policy behavior. This chapter situates current role theory under the broad intellectual umbrella of social constructivism, but recognizes that constructivism takes multiple forms, ranging from empirical efforts that seek to generalize (albeit within limited domains) to interpretive work that largely rejects the notion of generalizability. The chapter positions role theory under that corner of the large constructivist umbrella that relies on systematic empirical investigation, hypothesis testing, and falsification. In doing so, it exhibits an affinity with US role theory scholarship, although it also seeks to suggest fruitful avenues for bridging the ocean between US and European role theory scholarship (Keating 2009; Harnisch, this volume). This chapter will first review the early applications of role theory to the study of international relations, then review the intersection between role theory andconstructivism in international relations, and subsequently outline the “blind spots” – the ignored and uncharted territory that provides a research agenda for moving role theory forward.