Marxist theories

Marxist theories Historical materialism From imperialism to world-system theory Gramscianism

Historical materialism Processes of historical change are ultimately a reflection of the economic development of society. The means of production and relations of production that together form the economic base, interact each other. The relations of production should adapt to the means of production development.

Historical materialism The economic base determines the superstructure. Base Superstructure Means of production relations of prodution Political system, legal system, culture, etc

Historical materialism Economically class is the product of production relations and exchange relations. Society is systematically prone to class conflict. Human societies develop through class struggle.

From imperialism to world-system theory Marx and Lenin’s view: Core : advanced capitalism countries. Periphery : less-developed countries. Core countries had finished the industrial revolution. Machine production destroyed the handicraft market, forcing these handicraft markets to become its raw material origin.

From imperialism to world-system theory Latin American Dependency School developed the concept and proposed the core-periphery theory. Wallerstein developed this theory and added semi-periphery in. World-systems theory is particularly associated with the work of Wallerstein.

As a result the rich get richer while the poor become poorer. Core Democratic government High wages Import: raw materials Export: manufactures High investment Welfare services The three zones of the world economy are linked together in an exploitative relationship. Wealth is drained away from the periphery to the core. Semi-periphery Authoritarian governments Export: ‘mature’ manufactures, raw materials Import: manufactures, raw materials Low wages Low welfare services As a result the rich get richer while the poor become poorer. Periphery Non-democratic governments Export: raw materials Import: manufactures Below subsistence wages No welfare services

Gramscianism Why had it proven to be so difficult to promote revolution in the Western Europe？

Gramscianism The culture hegemony: The moral, political and culture values(superstructure) of ruling class become widely dispersed and be accepted by subordinate groups and classes as their own. This takes place through the institutions of civil society: like the media, the education system, churches, voluntary organizations.

Gramscianism Gramsci and Gramscians referred, Marxist theory needs to take superstructure seriously, while the structure of society may finally be a reflection of social relations of production in the economic base. The nature of relations in the superstructure is a great relevance in determining how susceptible that society is to change and transformation.

Social Constructivism

Social Constructivism Neo-realism and Neo- Liberalism shares: Individualism: actors have fixed interests and structure constrain their behaviour Materialism: structure is defined by military power, technology and geography Norms and ideas constrain (externally) states pursuing their interests Constructivist: ideas and norms define interest and constitute states identities Idealism: emphasizes the constitutive role of representations (ideas). Ideas are social products, and helps to give meaning to materiality and construct reality. Holism: (totality) structure is more than the sum of the parts. The Social can not be reduced to the sum Individuals

Agents – Structure (States – structure of international politics) Agents: agency, capability to create differences, to be unpredictible. Agents are not direct product of Structure Relation of mutual transformation A-S Structure conditions Agent´s action, and action can reproduce or transform Structure. Central thing: nor Agents not Structures, but Relations that constituites both Actions: agents and structure in plastic “fluid” state Structure: not only economy and military but also normative structure.

a process of relational construction of society and nature Social construction of Reality by a process of Representation and Action. In which representation determines action internally. a process of relational construction of society and nature

States State´s identity and interests: socially constructed (determined by culture, norms, knowledge, ideas, domestic and international relations) States do not have identity or national interests prior to interaccion with other states IR are internal and constitutive characteristics of States A state can reorient estrategically its identity depending on context Identity, norms and culture shapes patterns of war and peace Relations are Important Emphasis on the role of norms and institutions (sedimentation of relations) Norms: that set standards of appropiate behaviour States: shaped by shared beliefs, constructed norms, cultural practices. Actions and relations can change norms. Importance of Meaning: has constituting every human action Examines how actors make their activities meaningfull. Meanings derive from culture. (i.e. States need to be recogniced by other states as such to be an state )

Power of meaning Terms as Justice, Development, HR, security, humanitarian intervention, sovereignty: concepts with disputed meanings by diffent actors (rival interpretations) Fixing meaning is a politic process. Once meaning is fixed people can orient themselves in the frame to deside action. Power is needed to fix the meaning of an event that previously appears as uncertain and may be unreal. Knowlege is also a historical and contingent product, as well as reality (what exist may not have existed, alternative worlds can be constructed) Power is not only economic and military power, but also simbolic power (hability to impose your own perspective on reality). In world politics: legitimacy reflexts simbolic power: the hability of induce the meaning of your action as pursuing the good of the whole international community

Historical context Constructivist become important after the cold war. A context of: strong impact of ideas that transform world politics; USA unipolarity; states trying to reshape national interest, and asking themselves about its identity; segurity themes leaving the stage Normative structures (institutions, practices and organizations) construct interest and identities. Studied influence and origin of: Institutions: Sovereignty, Non intervention principle, International Community Norms: multilateralism IGOs: concivieng them as havig real power as they construct the social world

Homogeneization of Wold politics Diffusion: Insitutional isomorfism: by interaction models tend to uniformization (i.e. nation states, democracy, free market, multilateral form of IO). States search acceptance, legitimacy and status by resembling the dominant models. Cohersion: (colonialism), power differentials Competition: rivals tend to ressemble each other Simbols that attract resources Uncertainty: adoption of models seen as successfull Symbolic standing: symbols of beeing powerfull Tendency of states to organize domestic and international affairs in similar ways Diffusion, socialization, and internationalization- institutionalization of norms (Related to a sense of self tied to an International Community)

Socialization (social pressure): states identify with the identities, interests, and manners of the members of a group to be a full fledged member. (i.e. China changing segurity policies in multilateral institutions). Mechanisms: mimicking; social influence (need of appovation); persuation (by superiors). States look alike but this does not mean that act alike (agency) As diffusion rarely goes from 3º world to the West Convergence on similar norms, emergence of a possible international community, do not reflect a world without power hierarquies

Reality is not discovered but constructed by representation and action Reality is not discovered but constructed by representation and action. It is historically constructed and represented by culturally bound knowledge. Constructed reality apperas as objective reality but is an historical and contingent product. World orders are created and sustained not only but great powers but also by changing understandings of what constitutes a legitimate order.

Post-colonialism I41011 LIUSHAN

Did you ever feel when you say the word “me”，it refers to someone else, not you? Have you ever felt that whenever you speak, you have acted as someone else's spokesperson in a sense?

The theory of post-colonialism refers to a cultural concern of intellectuals, whose essence is to oppose European centralism and to oppose the cultural hegemonism pursued by the developed western countries in developing countries. Let the national culture from the edge of the world return to the desired location. Instead of being ruled.

Post-colonialism is not a scientific and substantive theory, but a series of principles elaborated in detail from many fictions and personal testimonials that provides a bottom-up approach to the study of international relations. It is dynamic.

The post-colonialist theory in the 1990s dominated the Western cultural theory. In the era of globalization, with the writings of Said and Spivak were re-recognized and the emergence of Homi Bhabha, post-colonial theory and criticism had a new development. Post-colonialism became more popular since 911.

Edward Said (1935~2003) Orientalism. Gayatri Spivak(1942~) Feminism and Deconstruction "Can the Subaltern Speak? "

Homi Bhabha(1949~) Hybrid identities Third spaces

From the Third World to the Three Continents. In many respects, the Bandung Conference marked the first time that post-colonialism became a conscious political philosophy system. Tricontinental Conference in 1966. This is the first time that Latin America (including the Caribbean) is associated with Africa and Asia.

Recommend a movie Post - colonialism 's profound influence on Indian culture. The loss of national cultural identity. The heroine embodies“feminism”.

Wifredo Lam - Umbral Wifredo Lam - Pasos mimeticos I