14.7 Critical Worldviews
3 min read•june 18, 2024
Marxist and feminist perspectives challenge traditional views in international relations. They highlight economic forces, class struggles, and dynamics that shape global politics. These approaches offer critical lenses to examine power structures and inequalities in the international system.
Both perspectives emphasize often-overlooked factors in IR. focuses on economic exploitation and class conflict, while examines gender's role in shaping global politics. They provide alternative visions for a more just and equitable world order.
Marxist and Feminist Perspectives in International Relations
Core principles of Marxism
Top images from around the web for Core principles of Marxism
Social Groups And Social Control - The Collaboratory View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society | Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society – Introductory Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
Social Groups And Social Control - The Collaboratory View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society | Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
Top images from around the web for Core principles of Marxism
Social Groups And Social Control - The Collaboratory View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society | Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society – Introductory Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
Social Groups And Social Control - The Collaboratory View original
Is this image relevant?
Reading: Conflict Theory and Society | Sociology View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
-
- Asserts economic forces shape historical development and social change
- Contends means of production determine political and social structures (feudalism, )
-
- Argues society divided into (owners) and (workers)
- Posits conflict between classes drives social and political change (revolutions)
- and global
- Claims capitalist states exploit developing nations for resources and cheap labor ()
- Maintains global inequality and uneven development result from capitalist expansion ( vs South)
- Critique of and
- Criticizes realism for focusing on state power, ignoring class and economic factors
- Contends liberalism promotes free trade, benefiting capitalist interests over workers (WTO, IMF)
- of the working class
- Believes workers across nations share common interests against capitalist exploitation
- Envisions potential for global socialist revolution to overthrow capitalist system ()
Feminist vs traditional approaches
- Gender as a category of analysis
- Feminism examines how gender shapes international relations ( in diplomacy)
- Traditional theories often ignore gender or treat it as irrelevant
- Critique of male-dominated power structures
- Argues states and international organizations are dominated by men (UN Security Council)
- Asserts masculine values of power, competition, and violence are prioritized
- Emphasis on women's experiences and perspectives
- Feminist approaches center women's voices and lived realities (oral histories)
- Highlights issues like sexual violence, unpaid labor, and gender inequality (wartime rape)
- and diversity
- Feminism recognizes multiple, intersecting forms of oppression (race, class, sexuality)
- Traditional theories tend to universalize Western, male experiences
- Alternative visions of security and peace
- Feminists challenge narrow, militarized conceptions of security ()
- Advocate for disarmament and nonviolent conflict resolution (Women's Peace Camps)
Critical worldviews in IR theory
- Critique of
- Critical theories question the primacy of the state in international relations
- Emphasize the role of non-state actors, social movements, and global civil society (NGOs)
- Challenging power and
- Critical perspectives unmask and resist dominant power structures ()
- Expose how theories like realism and liberalism reinforce the status quo
- Analyze in shaping international norms and values
- Emancipatory and transformative goals
- Critical worldviews seek to empower marginalized groups and create social change
- Envision alternative, more just and equitable forms of global governance ()
- Emphasize as the unity of theory and practice in transforming global relations
- Interdisciplinary and pluralistic approaches
- Critical theories draw from diverse fields like sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies
- Embrace multiple methodologies and epistemologies beyond (ethnography)
- Reflexivity and self-critique
- Critical perspectives are self-reflective about their own assumptions and biases
- Continuously interrogate and revise their own categories and concepts ()
Marxist and Postcolonial Critiques
- as a method for analyzing historical change in global relations
- and its role in maintaining global inequalities
- 's critique of Eurocentric knowledge production and power structures in IR
Key Terms to Review (47)
Bandaranaike: Bandaranaike refers to Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, a Sri Lankan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1956 until his assassination in 1959. He is known for his policies on social change, promotion of Sinhala as the official language, and establishment of diplomatic relations with non-Western countries, which significantly impacted Sri Lanka's political landscape and its role in international relations.
Bourgeoisie: The bourgeoisie is a social class characterized by their ownership of capital and their role in production through the ownership and control of property and businesses. This class is central to the capitalist system, often contrasted with the working class or proletariat, who provide labor for wages.
Bourgeoisie: The bourgeoisie refers to the social class that emerged with the rise of capitalism, consisting of business owners, professionals, and the middle class. This term is particularly relevant in the context of Nationalism, Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism, as well as Critical Worldviews.
Capitalism: Capitalism is an economic system in which private individuals rather than the state own and control property and businesses, operating for profit. Under capitalism, the production, distribution, and prices of goods and services are determined primarily by competition in a free market.
Capitalism: Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. It is characterized by the accumulation of capital, competitive markets, and the motivation of producers to maximize their wealth.
Class Struggle: Class struggle refers to the tension and conflict that arises between different socioeconomic classes within a society, particularly between the ruling class and the working class. It is a central concept in critical theories that examine power dynamics and social inequality.
Communist Internationals: The Communist Internationals were a series of international communist organizations that sought to promote worldwide communist revolution and the establishment of communist states. They played a significant role in the global spread of communist ideology and the coordination of communist movements across different countries.
Core countries: Core countries are those nations which have a dominant position within the global economic system, possessing advanced industrial capacities, technological sophistication, and high levels of wealth. They exert significant influence over world trade and political decisions, often setting international norms and standards.
Core-periphery model: The core-periphery model is a concept in international relations that describes the global division between developed countries (core) that dominate and exploit less developed peripheral countries for labor and raw materials. It highlights the unequal economic and political relationships in the global system.
Cosmopolitanism: Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human beings belong to a single community, based on a shared morality, beyond individual nations and cultures. It advocates for global citizenship and the idea that one's identity transcends geographical or political borders.
Cosmopolitanism: Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all people belong to a single community, with a shared morality and political structure that transcends national boundaries. It emphasizes the inherent dignity and equality of all human beings, regardless of their cultural, ethnic, or national affiliations.
Cultural Hegemony: Cultural hegemony refers to the dominance of a particular culture or worldview within a society, where the values, norms, and beliefs of the dominant group are widely accepted and internalized as the norm, often at the expense of marginalized or minority cultures. This concept is central to understanding the dynamics of power and influence in both contemporary ideologies and critical worldviews.
Cultural Marxism: Cultural Marxism is a theory that suggests that the culture of a society, rather than its economic structure, plays the essential role in determining its power dynamics, focusing on issues like race, gender, and sexuality as sources of societal division and inequality. It's often criticized by those further to the political right as an ideology that seeks to undermine traditional values and social orders through cultural means.
Democratic liberalism: Democratic liberalism is a political ideology that combines the principles of democracy, such as majority rule and election of representatives, with liberal values like individual freedoms, equality, and protection of civil liberties. It advocates for a government system that ensures both the participation of citizens in decision-making processes and the protection of their rights and freedoms.
Democratic socialism: Democratic socialism is a political and economic philosophy that advocates for the democratic control of major industries, resources, and institutions within a society, alongside a robust welfare state aimed at reducing inequality and ensuring basic needs are met for all. It combines the ideas of democracy and socialism to work toward social justice within a framework that allows for both collective ownership and individual rights.
Dialectical Materialism: Dialectical materialism is a philosophy that views reality as the product of an ongoing dialectical process of contradictions and their resolution. It is a foundational concept in Marxist and scientific socialist thought, emphasizing the dynamic and interconnected nature of social, economic, and political phenomena.
Dictatorship of the proletariat: The dictatorship of the proletariat is a concept in Marxist theory where the working class holds political power, overthrowing the capitalist system to eventually achieve a classless society. This period is seen as a transition phase from capitalism to full communism, where the state is used to suppress remaining class distinctions.
False Consciousness: False consciousness refers to a state where an individual or a group of people hold beliefs or views that are not in their best interests, but rather serve the interests of the dominant social class or power structure. This concept is central to critical worldviews, as it explores how dominant ideologies can shape and distort people's perceptions of reality.
Feminism: Feminism is a social and political movement that advocates for the rights, equality, and empowerment of women. It challenges traditional gender roles, power structures, and societal norms that have historically disadvantaged and oppressed women.
Feminist theory: Feminist theory is an approach within political science and international relations that seeks to understand and address the inequalities between genders, emphasizing how these disparities impact politics and society globally. It challenges traditional power structures and advocates for gender equity in all aspects of life.
Gender: Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a society considers appropriate for individuals based on their biological sex. It is a complex concept that goes beyond the binary classification of male and female, encompassing a spectrum of gender identities and expressions.
Global North: The Global North refers to the economically developed and industrialized countries, primarily located in the northern hemisphere, that have historically dominated the global economy and political landscape. This term is often used in contrast to the Global South, which encompasses the less developed and economically disadvantaged regions of the world.
Global South: The term 'Global South' refers to the regions of the world that are generally considered to be less developed or economically disadvantaged compared to the 'Global North.' It encompasses countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Oceania that have historically been subjected to colonization, exploitation, and unequal power dynamics in the global economic and political systems.
The concept of the Global South is closely tied to the critical worldviews explored in this chapter, as it highlights the disparities and inequalities that exist between the industrialized, wealthy nations of the North and the predominantly poorer, less developed nations of the South. Understanding the Global South is crucial for examining global power structures, international relations, and the impacts of globalization on marginalized regions.
Hegemony: Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. In the context of political ideology, it often refers to the dominance of a particular set of ideas, cultural practices, and norms that shape the social structure and governance within and across nations.
Hegemony: Hegemony refers to the dominance and influence of one group, state, or power over others. It is the ability to shape the political, economic, and social landscape through the imposition of one's values, beliefs, and interests as the accepted and normative standard.
Historical Materialism: Historical materialism is a methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history, which was developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It views social and historical change as the product of material, economic forces rather than ideological or cultural factors.
Human Security: Human security is an approach to security that focuses on the individual rather than the state. It emphasizes the protection of fundamental human rights, freedoms, and the overall well-being of people, rather than solely the security of national borders or political interests.
Imperialism: Imperialism is the policy, practice, and ideology of extending a nation's power and influence through territorial acquisition and economic domination. It involves the expansion of a country's authority over other nations or territories, often through military force or economic coercion, with the goal of establishing political, economic, and cultural hegemony.
International Solidarity: International solidarity refers to the concept of global unity and cooperation among individuals, groups, and nations to address shared challenges and promote common interests. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of people across borders and the collective responsibility to support one another in the pursuit of social, economic, and political justice.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a concept that recognizes individuals face overlapping forms of discrimination and disadvantage that stem from their various identities, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and other axes of identity. It emphasizes the need for nuanced approaches to civil rights policies and practices that take into account these multidimensional aspects.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that examines how different forms of social and political identities, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, and age, intersect and overlap to create unique experiences of discrimination and marginalization. It emphasizes that these identities cannot be analyzed in isolation, but must be understood in relation to one another.
Liberalism: Liberalism is a political and economic philosophy that emphasizes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free market capitalism. It is a broad term that encompasses various schools of thought, but at its core, liberalism promotes the idea of limited government and the protection of individual freedoms.
The principles of liberalism are central to understanding topics such as individuals, groups, and institutions in international relations, the factors that influence political choices, the social contract and the role of government, contemporary democratic ideologies, the formation of public opinion, and the worldviews that shape international political economy.
Marxism: Marxism is a political and economic theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that analyzes the relationship between labor, capital, and the means of production. It rejects the capitalist system and advocates for a classless, socialist society where the means of production are collectively owned and controlled by the working class.
Masculinities: Masculinities refers to the socially constructed and culturally variable ideas, practices, and representations of what it means to be a man or to embody masculine traits. It encompasses the diverse ways in which masculinity is defined, expressed, and experienced across different contexts and cultures.
Neo-Colonialism: Neo-colonialism refers to the indirect political, economic, and cultural control exercised by powerful nations over less developed countries, even after they have gained formal independence. It is a continuation of colonial practices through new, more subtle means that maintain the dominance of former colonial powers.
Orientalism: Orientalism is a concept that refers to the Western perception and representation of the 'Orient' or the East, often in a biased, stereotypical, and oversimplified manner. It is a way of thinking about and depicting the cultures, societies, and people of the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa through a Eurocentric lens.
The term is closely connected to the topics of 14.7 Critical Worldviews, as it highlights how dominant Western perspectives can shape our understanding and portrayal of non-Western cultures and societies.
Periphery countries: Periphery countries are less developed nations that have a lower standard of living, underdeveloped industrial bases, and lower Human Development Index (HDI) scores compared to more developed nations. They often depend on the export of raw materials and agricultural products while facing challenges such as poverty, lack of infrastructure, and political instability.
Positivism: Positivism is a philosophical approach that emphasizes the use of scientific methods and empirical evidence to study and understand the world. It rejects metaphysical, theological, or ideological explanations in favor of objective, observable facts and causal relationships.
Postcolonialism: Postcolonialism is a critical worldview that examines the legacy and impact of colonialism, focusing on the experiences and perspectives of formerly colonized peoples and nations. It challenges the dominant narratives and power structures established during the colonial era and seeks to give voice to marginalized groups.
Praxis: Praxis is the practical application of a theory or idea, the translation of an abstract concept into concrete action. It is the intersection of theory and practice, where knowledge is transformed into purposeful activity.
Proletariat: The proletariat refers to the class of wage-earning industrial workers who, lacking their own means of production, must sell their labor to survive. This term is closely associated with Marxist and socialist ideologies that view the proletariat as the revolutionary class capable of overthrowing the capitalist system.
Realism: Realism is a theoretical approach in political science that emphasizes the role of power, self-interest, and the anarchic nature of the international system in shaping the behavior of states and other actors in global affairs. It views the world as a competitive arena where states pursue their own interests and security, often at the expense of others, in the absence of a central authority to govern their interactions.
Sen: Sen's Capability Approach is a framework used in international relations to assess a country's level of development by focusing on the real freedoms people have to achieve well-being. It shifts the focus from traditional economic indicators to a broader understanding of human capabilities and opportunities.
Socialism: Socialism is a political and economic system that advocates for collective or government ownership and control of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of goods and services. It emphasizes the equitable distribution of wealth and resources among all members of society, in contrast to the private ownership and profit-driven model of capitalism.
Standpoint Theory: Standpoint theory is a critical approach that emphasizes how an individual's social location and lived experiences shape their perspective and understanding of the world. It challenges the notion of a single, objective reality and highlights the importance of diverse viewpoints in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of social phenomena.
State-centrism: State-centrism is a political ideology that emphasizes the central role of the state in governing society and shaping political, economic, and social outcomes. It views the state as the primary actor and decision-maker, with the power to influence and control various aspects of a nation's affairs.
Structural realism: Structural realism is a theory in international relations that emphasizes the anarchic structure of the international system, where no central authority exists, leading states to act primarily out of self-interest to ensure their survival. It suggests that the behavior of states is determined more by the constraints and opportunities this system presents than by their individual characteristics or internal politics.