No Alternative to "Isms"

In this thoughtful and well-intended essay, David Lake expresses a frustration with the sectarian debates among the "isms" of international relations and calls for a common lexicon or "Rosetta stone" that "aims to facilitate conversation across research traditions by suggest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International studies quarterly 2011-06, Vol.55 (2), p.487-491
Main Author: Nau, Henry R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic discipline
Conceptualization
Constructivism
Controversy
Conversation
Critical theory
Frustration
Hierarchies
Hierarchy
Identity
Interaction
International politics
International Relations
International relations studies
International Studies
Knowledge
Lake, David A
Liberalism
Paradigms
Physics
Political debate
Political science
Sectarianism
Social sciences
Sovereignty
Traditions
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Description
Summary:In this thoughtful and well-intended essay, David Lake expresses a frustration with the sectarian debates among the "isms" of international relations and calls for a common lexicon or "Rosetta stone" that "aims to facilitate conversation across research traditions by suggesting that all theories of international studies can be disaggregated into the basic and common concepts of interests, interactions, and institutions." But his lexicon inevitably privileges some concepts and theories over others— agency over structure, interests over identities, interactions over sovereignty, and institutions (hierarchy) over anarchy. A better way is to recognize that "isms" are inevitable, given the nature of social knowledge, and to encourage them to address one another more directly and jointly.
ISSN:0020-8833
1468-2478
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-2478.2011.00658.x