Overcoming Poststructuralism

The theorisation of international relations has progressed considerably in recent years to the point that a dialogue between the concurrent disciplines of International Relations (IR), political theory and international law has started to emerge. There is, however, much work still to be done in establishing what could be termed an 'International Theory' - one which contains the potential to transcend arbitrary disciplinary and methodological boundaries (particularly where the subject matter of the respective disciplines - working out a conception of normative reason appropriate to application in considerations of international justice and human rights - is trans-disciplinary in nature). This insightful contemporary critique considers the poststructuralist challenge to the very foundations and methodological commitments of traditional IR theory, as developed by R.B.J. Walker and Richard Ashley in the 1990s and beyond - as well as the various ways in which the discipline has sought to respond to such a pervasive attack on its most cherished beliefs. This study not only brings into question the central tenets of traditional IR theory, but also uses the political thought and theories of key thinkers including John Rawls, Friedrich Kratochwil and Peri Roberts to posit an account of normative reasoning which overcomes the challenges presented by a poststructuralist perspective.