Book Review: Praxis on Acting and Knowing and What Constructivism Means According to Friedrich Kratochwil

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Jiven

Praxis: On Acting and Knowing is reviewed as an intellectually extensive scholarly work that avoids empty, abstract jargon by carefully clarifying what constructivism means. The review highlights Friedrich Kratochwil’s approach to linking International Relations with constructivist thought, building a long, narrative “puzzle” that moves from concepts to critique. It emphasizes how action, norms, values, shared meanings, and historical understanding shape collective identities and individual behavior, while also contrasting constructivism’s methodological stance with realist assumptions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time6 min

Book Review Overview

Central Question: What Is Constructivism?

Praxis and the Link to Action

Norms, Meaning, and Historical Understanding

Methodological Orientation vs. Realism

BOOK REVIEW – 1 Prep. By: Ertuğrul GÖKÇEKUYU* WHAT is CONSTRUCTIVISM ACCORDING to FREDERICH KRATOCHWIL? Author: Friedrich KRATOCHWIL Praxis: On Acting and Knowing Cambridge University Press, 2018, 552 p. ISBN: 978-1-108-47125-1 Abstract As a scholarly book, Praxis has an extensively long narrative. Yet, this lengthy narrative has a strong gravitational pull. It does not leave the reader with centuries old abstract jargons and ideas but takes the time to elaborate what the author means by these concepts. Kratochwil is one of the first well-known constructivists who linked International Relations to the concept of Constructivism. If there was a central question in the book, the intention must be to work out an answer to the question “what is Constructivism?” To achieve this Kratochwil time and again displays the habit to descend from a highly abstract narrative to an intellectual frame that is extensive yet eloquently put. He does not mind to compare his work to a composer who is about to compose his masterpiece, or a painter who paints his masterpiece. He does this in an allegoric fashion and enjoys to let the reader know that this book should be read from top to bottom if one wishes to make sense out of it. PRAXIS is a scholarly book that addresses theoretical as well as practical questions using rather impenetrable philosophical texts such as Kant, Bentham, Foucault, Hume and Aristotle. Kratochwil does indeed write masterfully with a witty undertone that time and again sneers realists and caters the reader some entertainment (Reus-Smit, 2019, p. 178) . Keywords: Constructivism, Friedrich Kratochwil, Norms, Meaning, Reasoning As with other constructivists Praxis too is about social life. For the scholars amongst us, the word Praxis is obviously borrowed from Aristotle with reason as the word means “action”. For most of the initial chapters Kratochwil is occupied with the setting up of his workbench. He introduces and rearranges all of the conceptual tools, * Asst. Prof. Dr., Anadolu University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Eskişehir, Türkiye. E-mail: [egokcekuyu@anadolu.edu.tr](egokcekuyu@anadolu.edu.tr ORCID)[ ](egokcekuyu@anadolu.edu.tr ORCID)[ORCID](egokcekuyu@anadolu.edu.tr ORCID) [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5037-499X](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5037-499X) ideas that he is going to use in the later chapters. Almost in every chapter Kratochwil suddenly comes to a halt and starts to carve out the indispensable pieces of his constructivist puzzle, which he then puts aside and continues to evaluate and criticize ideas and arguments from texts of authors as mentioned above. One of these concepts is“action”, which is the use of “norms” and “values” that are shared and common in a social world. Attention must be paid to the word “use” in this sentence. As with Onuf, Kratochwil puts much emphasis on deeds. For Onuf there was an order and the social life could only be constructed first and foremost by deeds and then words. Kratochwil seems to favor action as well, but meanings are equally important to Kratochwil as these meanings are detrimental to how individuals behave in a social world. Kratochwil establishes a direct link between norms and historical understanding. Historical facts and events for Kratochwil form the utmost basis for individuals to embrace norms much easier. Historical memories can serve as the storage room for norms that individuals are familiar with. Even though, historical accounts and events are selectively stored in the memory bank, they are crucial in the construction of collective identities and behaviors. Norms let individuals make choices, yet the social climate individuals live in today are confusing. The confusion partly come from the usage of meanings of words in language by the media. Narrating from Kant and Hume, individuals ought to be critical as their political interestsand their wellbeing dep

FAQs

What is the central question driving the review of Praxis?

The review frames the book’s central intention as answering “what is Constructivism?” by moving from abstract concepts to an intelligible intellectual framework.

How does the review describe Kratochwil’s treatment of action?

Action is presented as a key concept connected to deeds, norms, and values shared within social life, with emphasis on how meanings affect individual behavior.

What role do norms and historical understanding play in the book, according to the review?

Norms are shown as easier to embrace through historical facts and memories, which store norms and help shape collective identities and behaviors.

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Jiven