Come to think of it, politics can rarely ever conform to a specific norm because the inclinations and aspirations of incumbents, leaders and political entities always change given the circumstances. Theorists have created generalizations to help us understand these anomalies and the obsession with micro-economics has somehow created overarching theories which state assumptions that denote behaviors with numbers and 'norms'. Interestingly enough however, Finnmore and Sikkink in their article "International Norm Dynamics and Political Change" have identified the life of the norm and its different dynamics in which human behavior is contingent on a number of different factors.
In one of the earlier readings assigned to the class, we were each exposed to Lakatos who stated that metaphysics leads to a broader set of novel ideas and undermines normalcy and mediocrity - a thought that has been well ingrained in our minds since then. What Finnmore and Sikkink in a different manner have proposed is the idea that norms are ubiquitous, but to conform to them completely will undermine an ideational turn which is both necessary and healthy for IR theorizing and social constructivism.
However, again it is important to understand what precisely a norm is. Using norms interchangeably with other generalized terms tends to obscure what essentially a norm encompasses. Under the "life cycle of a norm" what the text aims to elucidates is the constructivist perspective of how an idea becomes a norm over time. Most importantly, once norms are established, they help States establish and retain their power based on their legitimacy - in a way, norms help States legitimize their authority. Race supremacy during the 20th Century especially had become a negative norm and colonization ultimately became the consequential norm exercised by the European States seeking to establish "legitimate" oversees empires. Various forms of norms had started to emerge as a result of socialization and indoctrination, which defines the first phase of modernity. Here, constructivism plays its part when it identifies the ethnocentrism that norms may exude and it is essential for students of International Relations to understand that norms keep changing given the circumstances and vary for every society. Another example is that of The Third Reich which sought to uphold Nazism and German superiority as the emblem of Aryanism or the subsequent norm of the Aryan race.
In one of the earlier readings assigned to the class, we were each exposed to Lakatos who stated that metaphysics leads to a broader set of novel ideas and undermines normalcy and mediocrity - a thought that has been well ingrained in our minds since then. What Finnmore and Sikkink in a different manner have proposed is the idea that norms are ubiquitous, but to conform to them completely will undermine an ideational turn which is both necessary and healthy for IR theorizing and social constructivism.
However, again it is important to understand what precisely a norm is. Using norms interchangeably with other generalized terms tends to obscure what essentially a norm encompasses. Under the "life cycle of a norm" what the text aims to elucidates is the constructivist perspective of how an idea becomes a norm over time. Most importantly, once norms are established, they help States establish and retain their power based on their legitimacy - in a way, norms help States legitimize their authority. Race supremacy during the 20th Century especially had become a negative norm and colonization ultimately became the consequential norm exercised by the European States seeking to establish "legitimate" oversees empires. Various forms of norms had started to emerge as a result of socialization and indoctrination, which defines the first phase of modernity. Here, constructivism plays its part when it identifies the ethnocentrism that norms may exude and it is essential for students of International Relations to understand that norms keep changing given the circumstances and vary for every society. Another example is that of The Third Reich which sought to uphold Nazism and German superiority as the emblem of Aryanism or the subsequent norm of the Aryan race.
Good job and yes, making an ideational turn is important for IR theorizing. It at least makes it more interesting, doesn't it?
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