In the last class we brushed upon the idea of constructivism
and how politics is socially constructed and is not given by nature. It is
through experience and shared ideas that a new paradigm for the study of IR was
developed, which brought new concepts into perspective. That being said, it is
also important to note that since these ideas are socially constructed, it is
not possible to divorce them from social or political norms.
Many of these norms begin as regional or domestic norms that
are later accepted as international norms. Also, these international norms
should work their influence through the filter of domestic structures since
these ultimately result in variations among the same norms internationally.
Moreover, authors Martha and Kathryn talks about the three
stages of the development of norms in a cycle called the “the norm life cycle”.
The first stage is the “norm emergence”; the second is “norm cascade” and the
last is “internalization”. Norms are not developed out of thin air but are the
fruits of active socialists that nurture strong desires to set rules for the
society. Secondly, norm cascade refers to the act when particular norms gain
popularity among people and more and more states adopt it as appears to be the
right way to act. Lastly, at the extreme cases of norm cascades, it becomes
virtually impossible to elope from the norms since they are embedded in the
system.
However, some of these norms are changed overtime. For example,
the fourteenth amendment of the US constitution specifies that no state should “deprive
any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws”. Nevertheless,
in 1896, this amendment was reviewed to allow for “equal” public facilities for
Americans of different races. This meant that the notion among the Americans to
look down upon the coloured people had changed and people were beginning to realize
that they too deserved equal rights.
I really liked the idea about how the authors propose the merge of what is and what should be. It is only through the formation and recreation of appropriate norms, that one can bring about a change.
ReplyDeleteGood post, though norms, at least according to the authors, come from "norm entrepreneurs", not socialists.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, norms do change overtime. You talked about how African-Americans were treated, but how about the changes that have occurred in our own backyard? Anti-smoking anyone :)