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Realist Theory (realist + theory)
Selected AbstractsA Realist Theory of HegemonyJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2 2000Jonathan Joseph A new approach to understanding hegemony is developed based on the method of critical realism. Breaking from the traditional interpretations that emphasise inter-subjective, superstructural and cultural aspects of hegemony, this article looks at hegemony's structural context and the conditions for its possibility. A realist conception of hegemony relates hegemonic projects to structural reproduction and transformation via Bhaskar's transformational model of social activity. In doing so this model is itself modified to incorporate hegemony as the political moment of social reproduction. A distinction is made between hegemony in its structural aspect, and specific hegemonic projects as emergent possibilities. [source] Materialism, Agnosticism and GodJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 4 2001Sean Creaven The longstanding philosophical debate between idealism and materialism has recently entered the ontological terrain of critical realism (CR) and dialectical critical realism (DCR). This has been initiated by Roy Bhaskar's most recent book, From East to West, which attempts an ambitious synthesis of philosophy, social theory and theology. On the one hand, Bhaskar's attempt to root his philosophy and social theory in a ,realist theory of God' has found an echo within the CR and DCR research camp, some of whose members would urge us to take seriously the possibility of a ,religious sociology'. On the other hand, Bhaskar's abrupt ,idealist turn' has left many critical realists flabbergasted and horrified, particularly those working at the interface between realist philosophy and Marxist social science, especially since Bhaskar's new philosophical trajec-tory is radically at odds with the ,synchronic emergent powers materialism' outlined in his The Possibility of Naturalism. In response to this ,split' within the CR and DCR camp, the spectre of ,realist agnosticism' has been raised and defended by Mervyn Hartwig in this journal. Since neither science nor philosophy can settle the issue of what kind of stuff constitutes ,rock bottom reality', it is rational to be agnostic on the ,ultimate question', to deny positively affirming the claims of either one side or the other. Now this is the move that is resisted in this paper. My argument is that ontolog-ical idealism is disputable on a number of grounds-philosophical, scientific, ethical and political. In particular, I argue that objective idealism is unsupported by rational knowledge, is riddled with conceptual and logical defects, is contrary to the logic of scientific discovery, and is an obstacle to eudaimonia (human emancipation). Further, since realist agnosticism rests its case on the myth of infallible knowledge, and obviously stands or falls with the defensibility or other-wise of objective idealism, this gives us ,good enough' reasons for accepting a thoroughgoing materialism as the ontological foundation of social theory. [source] Should service user involvement be consigned to history?JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2006A critical realist perspective Service user involvement in the UK healthcare agenda is now widely expected. Historically, service user groups have been increasingly successful in their demands for greater involvement. Hierarchies of involvement exist that include consultation and partnership working. Psychiatry is an archetypal arena in terms of power and control. The traditional view of interpreting the place of service users within this arena is that the service user is at the bottom of this hierarchy; involvement allows transcendence of the power hierarchy. Critical realist theory is offered as an alternative approach to understanding these complex relationships. It is argued that contemporary models of involvement perpetuate and sustain the power positions of the dominant discourse within psychiatry. It is suggested that a critical realism perspective, offers a model that does not kowtow to the dominant discourse but rather recognizes that service users now possess power, especially in terms of being able to provide services that statutory services providers now require. Is it time for service users to call the tune, and, in doing so, establish a power position outside the traditional hierarchy of power? [source] Explaining the Functional Expansion of a Regional Organization: The Case of Security Cooperation within APEC,PACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 3 2008Hyun Seok Yu This study is an attempt to explain the functional expansion of Asia,Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to include the security issue. The hegemonic stability version of realist theory that emphasizes the role of the hegemon in the emergence and change of international institutions seems to provide a plausible explanation. The fundamental limitation of the power-based explanation to the transformation of APEC is that it tends to treat the hegemon's intention and outcome as the same and does not pay attention to the process in which the hegemon's intentions come to fruition. It is obvious that the intention of the hegemon is not in itself sufficient to produce the desired outcome. Thus, the power-based explanation leaves the very important process of transformation unexplained. This study focuses on the process in which other countries accept the agenda of the USA. Two ideational factors (connecting security and trade and the human security concept) played roles and the USA has been deeply involved in inventing and distributing these ideas. The USA has persuaded other member countries that security and economic issues are inseparable. Building up a logical connection between security and trade in effect contributed to a new way of understanding anti-terrorism issues by other member states. The introduction of the human security concept also contributed to the acceptance of security cooperation within APEC by member countries. Human security was much more easily accepted, even by skeptic members, than counter-terrorism because human security is less controversial and seems to be more concerned with the public good. This paper does not deny the role of the hegemon in the transformation of the regional organization. Instead, it wants to analyze the process in which the hegemon's intention is realized. In this process the abilities of the hegemon such as diplomatic practice, norm creation, and the ability to provide alternative ideas play an important role. [source] Realist Visions of the End of the Cold War: Morgenthau, Aron and WaltzBRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2009Marco Cesa Although realist theory did not predict the end of the cold war, prominent realist scholars such as Hans Morgenthau, Raymond Aron and Kenneth Waltz did give some thought to the conditions under which the cold war might be settled. Both Aron and Morgenthau characterised the cold war as a combination of traditional power politics and ideological competition, but they differed on the relative weight of each component. For Morgenthau, a diplomatic settlement would deactivate the unsettling potential of the ideological conflict; for Aron, only the disappearance of the ideological conflict could pave the way to some lasting diplomatic settlement. For Waltz, ideology had little impact; the bipolar structure of the international system was the main variable on which both the cold war and its end depended. [source] | ||||||||||