National Identity in International Relations: Between Constructivism and Post-Structuralism

Abstract

The article interprets the role of national identity in contemporary
international relations scholarship. It distinguishes two main approaches –
the social constructivist and post-structural approaches – and shows their
deficiencies. To overcome them, it offers a third way to approach identity
that builds on a pragmatic combination of these two schools. It proposes
grasping identity according to the extent of its sedimentation. At the lowest
level of sedimentation, identity entrepreneurs fight for their visions of
identity. The middle level is where more concrete demarcations are made.
The most sedimented identites take on the form of a culture as defined by
social constructivists. The identities in all the layers interact with each other,
both positively (less sedimented layers accelerate changes in more
sedimented layers) and negatively (deeper identities inhibit changes in
lower levels).