Alexander Wendt

Alexander Wendt is one of the core social constructivist scholars in the field of international relations. Wendt and scholars such as Nicholas Onuf, Peter J. Katzenstein, Michael Barnett, Kathryn Sikkink, John Ruggie, Martha Finnemore, and others have, within a relatively short period of time, established constructivism as one of the major schools of thought in the field. In a recent survey^[1] Wendt was listed as one of the most influential scholars of international relations.

Biography

Alexander Wendt was born in 1958 in West Germany, and read political science and philosophy at Macalester College before receiving his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota in 1989, studying under Raymond "Bud" Duvall. Wendt taught at Yale University from 1989 to 1997, at Dartmouth College from 1997 to 1999, at the University of Chicago from 1999 to 2004, and is currently the Ralph D. Mershon Professor of International Security at the Ohio State University. He is married to Jennifer Mitzen, also a member of the Ohio State political science faculty. He is currently working on two projects: arguing for the inevitability of a world state, and investigating the possible implications of quantum mechanics for social science.

Social Theory of International Politics

Wendt's most widely cited work to date is Social Theory of International Politics (Cambridge University Press, 1999), which builds on and goes beyond his 1992 article "Anarchy Is What States Make Of It". Social Theory of International Politics places itself as a response to Kenneth Waltz's 1979 work, Theory of International Politics, the canonical text of the neorealist school.

Works by Wendt

Books

Social Theory of International Politics, Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 0521469600

Articles

"The agent-structure problem in international relations theory" in International Organization, vol. 41, no. 3, 1987.
"Anarchy is what states make of it: the social construction of power politics" in International Organization, vol. 46, no. 2, 1992.
"The Difference that Realism Makes: Social Science and the Politics of Consent." (with Ian Shapiro) in 'Politics and Society 20:197-223, 1992
“Dependent State Formation and Third World Militarization” (with Michael Barnett) in 'Review of International Studies, 19, 321-347., 1993
"Collective identity formation and the international state" in American Political Science Review, vol. 88, no. 2, 1994.
“Hierarchy Under Anarchy: Informal Empire and the East German State” (with Daniel Friedheim), 'International Organization, 49, 689-721, 1995
"Constructing international politics" in International Security, vol. 20, no. 1, 1995.
“On Constitution and Causation in International Relations,” 'Review of International Studies, 24 (special issue), 101-118, 1998
"Driving with the rearview mirror: on the rational science of institutional design" International Organization, vol. 55, no. 4, 2001.
"Why a world state is inevitable" in European Journal of International Relations, vol. 9, no. 4, 2003.
"The state as person in international theory" in Review of International Studies, vol. 30, no. 2, 2004.

Chapters in Edited Volumes

"Institutions and International Order." 1989 (with Raymond Duvall) In 'Global Changes and Theoretical Challengesedited by E. Czempiel, and J. Rosenau. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.
“The International System and Dependent Militarization” 1992 (with Michael Barnett), in Brian Job, ed., ''The Insecurity Dilemma: National Security of Third World States, Boulder: Lynne Rienner, pp. 97-119.
“Norms, Identity and Culture in National Security” 1996 (with Ronald Jepperson and Peter Katzenstein), in Katzenstein, ed., The Culture of National Security, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 33-75.
“What is IR For?: Notes Toward a Post-Critical View,” 2000 in Richard Wyn Jones, ed., 'Critical Theory and World Politics', Boulder: Lynne Rienner, pp. 205-224.
"Rationalism v. Constructivism: A Skeptical View." 2002 (with James Fearon) In 'Handbook of International Relations', edited by W. Carlsnaes, T. Risse, and B. Simmons. London: Sage.
"'Social Theory' as Cartesian Science: An Auto-Critique from a Quantum Perspective." 2006 In 'Constructivism and International Relations', edited by Stefano Guzzini and Anna Leander. London: Routledge.

Major Areas of Interest

References

^ Susan Peterson et al. "Teaching and Research Practices." College of William and Mary, Williamsburg. August 2005.

Bibliography

Dale C. Copeland, "The Constructivist Challenge to Structural Realism: A Review Essay" International Security Vol. 25, No. 2 (Autumn, 2000), pp. 187-212

Gillian Wylie, "International Relations' via Media: Still under Construction" International Studies Review Vol. 2, No. 3 (Autumn, 2000), pp. 123-126

External links

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