The New Constructivism in International Relations — David McCourt

10. 3. 2026

In this episode, Professor McCourt unpacks the foundations of the New Constructivism: where it came from, what it demands of researchers, and where it's heading. From the theory/method distinction to the practice and relational turns, from C. Wright Mills to Multiple Correspondence Analysis, this is a wide-ranging conversation about how social science can move beyond positivist inheritances without losing analytical rigor. We also explore New Constructivism's blind spots, its uneven development across the US and Europe. 

David McCourt

David McCourt is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Davis, where he teaches sociological and international theory. His research sits at the intersection of political sociology and international relations, with a focus on the social foundations of state action in world politics. Empirically, his work centres on the foreign policies of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Theoretically, he usually draws on constructivist, practice-based, and relational approaches to examine how states define and enact their roles on the international stage.

Publications:

Constructivism’s Contemporary Crisis and the Challenge of Reflexivity

Practice Theory and Relationalism as the New Constructivism

Domestic Contestation Over Foreign Policy, Role-based and Otherwise: Three Cautionary Cases

The New Constructivism in International Relations Theory

The End of Engagement: America’s China and Russia Experts and U.S. Strategy Since 1989

The Dragon Defined: How Washington, Canberra, and London Reimagined China

Content

00:00 - Introduction
02:37 - Core Principles of New Constructivism
19:24 - Is the Theory/Method Distinction Itself a Positivist Inheritance?
24:00 - Methodology vs. Methods: The Root of Constructivist Misreadings
33:33 - Constructivism as Classic Social Analysis: The C. Wright Mills Connection
37:25 - Broadening the Methodological Repertoire Without Fetishising Technique
41:27 - What Must Stay Constant as Constructivism Evolves?
46:14 - Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) as a Constructivist Tool
52:15 - The Practice Turn and Relational Turn in New Constructivism
57:23 - Diverging Trajectories: New Constructivism in the US and Europe
01:00:43 - New Constructivism, Global South Scholarship, and Postcolonialism
01:05:11 - The Weakest Link: Where New Constructivism Falls Short
01:07:54 - The Limits of New Constructivism: Where It Should Not Be Applied