Reality-congruence, emancipatory politics and situated knowledge in International Relations

A Process Sociological Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID4444764
AuthorsAndré Saramago (0000-0002-4034-1702, University of Coimbra, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume34
Issue2
Pages204-224
Publication date2020-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Relations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-1178 • E-ISSN: 1741-2862
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0047117819879473
OpenAlexW2979945667
LanguageEN
Citations received2

Recent discussions of the epistemological and political implications of the situatedness of knowledge in International Relations (IR) have raised important questions regarding the future development of the discipline. They pose the challenge of understanding under what conditions human beings develop more or less reality-congruent knowledge about world politics and what are the implications of such knowledge for emancipatory political activity. This article argues that process sociology should be understood as a relevant complement to these discussions. Assuming a fundamentally 'realist' orientation, process sociology provides a sociologically informed analysis of the material, ideational and emotional forces shaping the development of knowledge. As such, it can help those concerned with the implications of the situatedness of knowledge in IR reinforce their capacity to both understand the social conditions under which it is possible to develop more detached and reality-congruent knowledge about the world and better identify and explain the historically emergent values that should orientate the emancipatory transformation of world politics

Epistemology · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Politics · Situated · Social science · Sociology · Sociology of knowledge · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance

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