Constructing a Chinese International Relations Theory
A Sociological Approach to Intellectual Innovation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2264293 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Marcus Kristensen (0000-0002-8357-5293, University of Copenhagen, corresponding author), Ras Tin Nielsen (University of Copenhagen) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 19-40 |
| Publication date | 2013-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Political Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-5679 • E-ISSN: 1749-5687 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ips.12007 |
| OpenAlex | W2105591541 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 34 |
| References cited | 47 |
Chinese scholars are debating whether, and how, to innovate a Chinese theory of International Relations (IR). This article examines the driving forces behind this theoretical debate. It challenges the commonsensical link between external events in the subject matter (i.r.) and theorizing (IR), which suggests that the innovation of a Chinese IR theory is a natural product of China's geopolitical rise, its growing political ambitions, and discontent with Western hegemony. We propose instead a sociological approach to intellectual innovation which opens the black box of knowledge production, and argue that theoretical innovation, in China and elsewhere, is best understood as an interplay between internal and external layers. The internal academic context comprises intellectuals pursuing prominence, with each intellectual trying to carve out a maximally distinct position in order to receive attention from their peers—theorizing a Chinese IR theory being one important way of doing this. The external layer—which ranges from power politics to sociopolitical developments—affects this process indirectly by providing more research funds and autonomy to the more immediate institutional environment where control over rewards such as research funds, promotion, and publications affects what kind of work is done, with theorizing being increasingly rewarded
Epistemology · International relations · International relations theory · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociological theory · Sociology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Law · Philosophy
Chinese International Relations Theory
Widening the World of IR
The Hidden Ruler
The Second Coming? Reflections on a Global Theory of International Relations
Saving National IR from Exceptionalism
Rethinking Hierarchies in East Asian Historical IR
How China Understands Public Diplomacy
The Resurgence of Ideology under Xi Jinping and International Relations Scholarship in China
Forum
Cooperation and Conflict Studies in Chinese IR
Forum
The Institutional “Hinge”
The ‘China’ question in mobile Internet standard-making
Relating self and other in Chinese and Western thought
Chinese IR Sino-centrism tradition and its influence on the Chinese School Movement
Global IR through dialogue
Museum diplomacy
Fantastic Theories and Where to Find Them
Revisiting the “American Social Science”-Mapping the Geography of International Relations
Chinese Approaches to Peace
Introduction to the Special Issue—China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Victimized State and Visionary Leader? Questioning China’s Approach to Human Security in Africa
China’s Pledge to Civilise “All Under Heaven”
Chinese School of International Relations
How (not) to advance Global IR
Whither Chinese IR? The Sinocentric subject and the paradox of Tianxia-ism
On being Chinese and being complexified
How can emerging powers speak? On theorists, native informants and quasi-officials in International Relations discourse
Chinese views of global economic governance
Através dos olhos do dragão
An Intellectual Confession from a Member of the “Non-White” IR Community
Opening up the debate over ‘non-western’ international relations
Reconceptualizing International Order
States of emergence, states of knowledge
The Changing Ecology of Foreign Policy-Making in China
International Relations Scholarship Around the World
Chinese Thinking on the Future of International Relations
Chinese Perspectives on International Relations
An American Social Science
"Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power"
China's Struggle for Status
An American Social Science
The Political Discourse of Anarchy
Xun Zi's Thoughts on International Politics and Their Implications
China Debates Soft Power
Development of International Relations theory in China
Why is there no Chinese international relations theory
International relations studies in China
Chinese Visions of World Order
The invisible hand
Understanding national IR disciplines outside the United States
The Discipline of International Relations
International Relations Theory in China
International Relations Theory in China Today
China and the Globalisation of IR Theory
Building International Relations Theory with Chinese Characteristics
The Academic Profession in China in the Context of Social Transition
The Emerging Global Model with Chinese Characteristics
The Sociology of Philosophies
International Studies in China
International Relations Theory-Building in China
Constructing an International Relations Theory with ‘Chinese Characteristics’
Development of International Relations Theory in China
Nationalism, Civilization and Transnational Relations
The Sociology of a Not So International Discipline
Between Science and Art
Research on International Studies in The People's Republic of China
China’s Harmonious World
Continental IR Theory
Remembering the Future — Utopia, Empire, and Harmony in 21st-Century International Theory
The `English School' in China
On the Acrimoniousness of Intellectual Disputes
| Unique citing works | 34 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,62 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2025 (13) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 34 |