The critical turn in international relations theory: fertility of metatheoretical explorations

Abstract

The critical turn in international relations theory that has accelerated particularly in the second half of the 1980s has exacerbated the sense of crisis within the field of international studies. The main accusation directed to the initiators of this crisis is the overemphasis on superfluous metatheoretical issues and lack of due attention to the ‘substantive’ issues of world politics. This thesis is a discussion paper that counterposes these arguments. It tries to offer an overview of the dissenting voices by focusing mainly on postmodernism and Critical Theory. Through a theoretical exercise related to security studies, that has been directed by the insights of postmodernism, it tries to demonstrate the fertility of the metatheoretical ferment.