States, Identity Construction, and Conflict: A Political Science Portfolio

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Alcock, Frank

Keywords

Constructivism, Identity, Reconciliation

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

Identity is instrumental in altering the circumstances underlying a particular state behavior, and studying the social processes that form it essential for understanding the real nature of a state-of-affairs beyond its immediate characteristics. Identity is central because power, preference and the very meaning of survival is contingent on the normative foundations from which it is derived. In international relations, structural constructivism provides a valuable framework from which to explore a cultural conception of the international system. This theory examines ways in which the dissemination of normative values creates networks of role-identities that become self-enforcing cultures. On a domestic level, the concept of social capital provides a valuable conceptual foundation for understanding the consequences of diverging roleidentities when dealing with fragmentary identity-affiliations. Concerning themselves with both of these perspectives, the following papers explore the possibilities of taking identity seriously in political science.

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