One Field, Many Perspectives: Building the Foundations for Dialogue

Highlighted by the dramatic changes that are occurring in the world and the number of problems that are now global in scope, there is an increasing need for dialogue among the subfields and specializations that comprise the field of international studies. But because the questions we raise, the ways we define the prime movers in international politics, and the information we seek often differ, we prefer to interact with those who share our view of the world rather than with those who might challenge it. This article describes some of the effects of the stereotypes that result from this practice and proposes several ways of engaging in focused interaction to address these ingroup-outgroup barriers we have constructed.