Critical Theories and Change in International Relations

Critical theories advocate fundamental change in world politics. They attack the structural inequalities of power that maintain the status quo and are, in turn, maintained by it. Ideational power is seen to work in tandem with material power, which calls for a strategy of radical resistance that incorporates a battle for hearts and minds. One of those battlefields is the discipline of International Relations (IR) itself. This chapter begins by clarifying what critical theories in IR are and then explains why and how they problematize the notion of “peaceful change.” The changes desired by critical theories are fundamental and urgent, which imbues those theories with a level of radicalism that can justify violent means. At the same time, critical theories spotlight dimensions of power beyond the material on which material power vitally depends. This reveals possibilities for transformation by peaceful means.