ID | 104985 |
Title Proper | Regressing culture of anarchy in ancient China and its implications for wendt's progressive constructivism |
Language | ENG |
Author | Flawith, Robert William |
Publication | 2011. |
Summary / Abstract (Note) | What does the qualitative increase in the brutality of international relations in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China (770-221bc) mean for the implicit progressivism of Alexander Wendt's constructivism, as espoused in his landmark text Social Theory of International Politics (1999)? Wendt's constructivism is useful in understanding international systems outside the contemporary Westphalian order and provides an excellent analytical tool for understanding ancient China. However, this article argues that Wendt's implicit teleology of progressively cooperative 'cultures of anarchy' in international politics is empirically questionable. It is demonstrated that such a progression is not supported by the historical evidence of ancient China, which represents an instance of an international system 'regressing' from a more to a less cooperative international social structure. |
`In' analytical Note | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 65, No. 3; Jun 2011: p263-282 |
Journal Source | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 65, No. 3; Jun 2011: p263-282 |
Key Words | China, ; International Relations Theory, ; Alexander Wendt ; Ancient China |