Abstract
In this article I examine some significant problems found in current discussions of the "agent-structure" problem in international relations, suggesting that they result in serious gaps and silences. However, I also argue that important openings can be found that point to a more critical, if unsettling, way of conceptualizing agents and structures and the relations between them. Specifically, I interrogate the issues of practices, discourse, and contexts of meanings that are implicit in existing approaches and argue that taking seriously the indeterminancy and undecidability of practice has important implications for the agent-structure problem both in terms of ontological assumptions as well as concrete empirical research.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 365-392 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | European Journal of International Relations |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Political Science and International Relations