This collection brings together leading figures in the study of International Relations to explore praxis as a perspective on international politics and law. With its focus on competent judgements, the praxis approach holds the promise to overcome the divide between knowing and acting that marks positivist International Relations theory.
Building on the transdisciplinary work of Friedrich Kratochwil
and with a concluding chapter from him
this book reveals the scope, limits and blind spots of praxis theorizing.
For anyone involved in international politics, this is an important contribution to the reconciliation of theory and practice and an inspiration for future research.
EPDFs of Chapters 1, 4, 9, 13, 15 and 16 are available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
1. Introduction: Praxis as a Perspective on International Politics - Gunther Hellmann and Jens Steffek Part 1: Theorizing Praxis 2. Knowing, Remembering, Showing But Still Not Seeing: Critical Praxis, Slavery and the Modern ‘We’ - K.M. Fierke 3. Friedrich Kratochwil: Prophet of Doubt? - Cecelia Lynch 4. Styles of Theorizing International Practice - Christian Bueger 5. Practising Theorizing in Theorizing Praxis: Friedrich Kratochwil and Social Inquiry - Gunther Hellmann Part 2: Praxis and the Law 6. If Not Rome or The Hague, Where? Reflections on Sanctioning and Punishing - Chris Brown 7. Practical Constitutionalism - Anthony F. Lang, Jr. 8. Rules, Institutions and Decisions: Taking Distribution Seriously - Jan Klabbers Part 3: Biology, Contingency and History 9. I Think, Therefore IR? Psychology, Biology and the Notion of Praxis - James W. Davis 10. Practice, Intersubjectivity and the Problem of Contingency - Oliver Kessler 11. The Praxis of Change and Theory - Mathias Albert 12. Thinking on Time: How Scholarly Praxis Can Sustain, Subvert and Transform Social Reality - Jörg Friedrichs Part 4: Theorizing as Intervention 13. Practising Academic Intervention: An Agonistic Reading of Praxis - Antje Wiener 14. Between Science and Politics: Friedrich Kratochwil’s Praxis of ‘Going On’ - Patrick Thaddeus Jackson 15 Praxis, Humanism and the Quest for Wholeness - Jens Steffek Part 5: Conversing with Critics 16. Acting, Representing, Ruling: A Conversation with My Critics on Social Reproduction and the Logic of Social Inquiry - Friedrich Kratochwil
Gunther Hellmann is Professor of Political Science at Goethe University. Jens Steffek is Professor of Transnational Governance at the Technical University of Darmstadt.
Reviews for Praxis as a Perspective on International Politics
"""Theorizing is just one of the modes of praxis that contributors to this splendid collection of essays theorize - with exceptional skill and to remarkable effect."" Nicholas Onuf, Florida International University"
