Knowing the Rules and Acting Politically. Friedrich Kratochwil and his Critics

Conference

Project managers: Prof. Dr. Gunther Hellmann and Prof. Dr. Jens Steffek

Project description

The “practice turn” has left its mark on numerous disciplines in the humanities and social sciences over the past decade. This also applies to “international relations”. Friedrich Kratochwil, whose broad academic oeuvre means that he can by no means be reduced to international relations, but who saw it as his primary disciplinary home, has made influential contributions to this social-theoretical perspective (initially negotiated under the label of “constructivism”) since the 1980s. His latest book, which can be seen as a great synthesis of his life’s work, was published a few weeks ago by Cambridge University Press (“Praxis. On Acting an Knowing”) and is also the result of his research stay at the “Normative Orders” cluster. Because this fundamental work is not only a welcome occasion for a broader appreciation of Fritz Kratochwil’s life’s work, but also provides various points of contact with the Cluster’s new research program, a “book making” conference will be held that will examine his concept of practice with regard to certain fundamental knowledge practices (cf. “Praxis”, chap. 8-10) and, on the other hand, to explore the potential of a processual concept of action that manifests itself in concrete, i.e. situational practice – and which cannot be reduced to quasi-habitual practices – for the development ofnorms and the articulation of (international) politics invarious forms (such as violence).

We see the connections with the research program in detail as follows: Topic 4 of the new concept paper deals with the “end of universalistic norm systems” and already hypothesizes that we can currently observe this decline. The examination of the concept of practice in the context of our planned conference should be seen in this context, as it enables an alternative approach to the study of universalist norm systems and their (possible) decline. This approach differs fundamentally from traditional approaches in the field of IB and international law, which attempt to gauge the social validity of an international system of norms by the degree of “compliance” or “non-compliance”. In this perspective, the end of universalistic norm systems would be characterized by non-compliance. In contrast, a practice-oriented perspective focuses on everyday social actions that are guided, informed or framed by norms. Not least, this opens up a critical perspective in which we do not take norms and principles as given (and then possibly compare observed behaviour with them), but rather examine their effect only in everyday contexts of action in which these norms are “lived” and operationalized, so to speak. A decline in universalist systems of norms would therefore not be demonstrated by the fact that these norms are rhetorically challenged or disregarded in striking individual cases. Rather, it would have to be demonstrated that these norms no longer play a role in the concrete and everyday practices of international relations. Friedrich Kratochwil is our reference author because he offers an elaborate theoretical perspective that can be worked through. Last but not least, we must ask how Kratochwil’s “meditations” can be used in practice, i.e. how they can guide research on concrete objects.

Kratochwil’s latest book is also suitable for a new look at how to deal with violence. The new forms of violence (and their justification; cf. #5a) rightly emphasized in the research program necessarily pose new challenges to the formulation of appropriate political responses against the background of existing normative orders or those that need to be updated. Especially with regard to the genuine historicity of action emphasized by Kratochwil (also fundamentally theoretically elaborated), new demands are placed on the investigation (theorization) of the interplay between violence and its political or legal containment. A systematic reconstruction of fundamental practices in the field of the containment of violence (cf. the chapters on the practices of “sanctioning” and “punishment” as well as “judgment” and “communication” in his new book) is particularly helpful here, because a set of conceptual instruments based on relevant usage, but also systematically tied back to practical-theoretical contexts, becomes available, which, in view of contingent contexts of action, can be used in the development (or Theoretization) of appropriate and justifiable political responses (for example) to new forms of violence — precisely because it is aware of its contingent situation (“knowlegde (…) is acquired through participation in (…) am existing historical society”, p.11).

Conference
Praxis as a Perspective on International Relations and Law. Friedrich Kratochwil and his Critics
July 12 and 13, 2019