理解含义:理论、话语和国际关系

近年来,语言在国际关系中的重要作用逐渐引起人们的兴趣和关注,出现国际关系研究的“语言转向”。这一学术转向的意义在于,它试图探索国际关系中的人和事件如何在语言的作用下被赋予含义,以及这种含义反过来如何影响并建构着国际关系“现实”。符号含义的不固定性、多层性和争议性,不仅挑战了国际关系“知识”中的话语霸权现象,而且提醒人们有必要对国际关系的不同“现实”进行理解,并说明国际政治不仅是竞争物质实力的领域,而且还是争夺话语含义的场所。

Understand Meanings: Theory, Discourse and International Relations

In recent years, increasing interests have been taken in the role of language in International Relations (IR). The significance of this "linguistic turn" emerging in IR studies lies in its attempts to explore how meanings are given to peoples and events in IR by the game of language, and how they, in turn, help reshape and reproduce "realities" in IR. The instability, multidimensionality and disputability of symbolic meanings not only challenge the basis of hegemonic discourse in IR, but also make aware the necessity of understanding the different "realities" in IR. Thus international politics is a field of struggle not only for the competition of physical capabilities, but also for the dominance of discourse meanings.