The International as Emergent: Challenging Old and New Orthodoxies in International Relations Theory

Abstract

This contribution challenges the way that IR has traditionally set up its field of analysis and in particular the framework of system/unit. This framework has been reinforced by the work of neo-realism and the levels of analysis debate to the point where it is accepted even by many critical IR scholars. By and large the international has come to be defined as a structure or a system, while the units may range from individuals to states. This distinction runs parallel to other (perhaps more methodological) oppositions such as holism/individualism and macro/microtheory. While there are many debates as to where to place the emphasis, there are not so many debates about such distinctions themselves. This essay is concerned with showing how we might question such a way of seeing things and examines the Marxist tradition to see how things might be conceptualised differently. The first section will criticise IR approaches while the second will explore Marxist approaches. By switching attention to Marxism it can be shown how issues raised within IR such as reductionism have quite different meanings elsewhere.