Abstract
In Germany, debates within European critical security studies are taken up belatedly. Yet the debates on identity and security, the interrelation of these two concepts, and the dilemma of writing security, raise fundamental issues with the theory of IR in general, as well as with security scholars' self-perception. Shaped by the return of ideas, culture, and identity to IR and by the linguistic turn in the social sciences, the new European security theory challenges the tendencies to simply incorporate the new concerns as additional variables into positivist frameworks in order to explain changes in world politics. In developing a conceptual alternative, critical security studies point to innovative avenues of research.
Highlights
In Germany, debates within European critical security studies are taken up belatedly
Despite the narrowness of Morgenthau’s realist concept of power and the ahistorical quality that his »interest defined as power« has assumed in realism, he was aware that »interest determining political action in a particular period of history depends upon the political and cultural context«
In addition to the power to control intersubjective understanding, Hopf stresses the importance of »having resources that allow oneself to deploy discursive power – the economic and military wherewithal to sustain institutions necessary for the formalized reproduction of social practices« (Ibid). This combination of material and discursive power is significant in order to refute the verdict of the mainstream scholarship that »issues of war and peace are too important for [...] [a] discourse that is divorced from the real world« (Walt 1991: 223) and to counter the claim that the whole field of constructivism lacks a theory of power
Summary
Judging from the severity of the neorealist critique of constructivism, it is apparent that many neorealists are not sufficiently aware of earlier work within classical realism. For this work offers the possibility for dialogue across analytical traditions, such as realism and constructivism, and has the potential to »speak directly« (Michael Williams) to controversies within constructivist theory. Despite the narrowness of Morgenthau’s realist concept of power and the ahistorical quality that his »interest defined as power« has assumed in realism, he was aware that »interest determining political action in a particular period of history depends upon the political and cultural context« 2. Critique of the »Ideas« literature and the development of an alternative constructivist approach
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
