Colloque

Le virage discursif et la problématique de la contingence historique dans l’analyse des relations internationales : critique d’une histoire sans sujet

Thierry Lapointe

Membre a labase

Thierry Lapointe

Résumé de la communication

This paper aims at critically assessing the theoretical contributions made by these scholars regarding the issue of social and historical change. I argue that despite its contributions in fostering a meta-theoretical reflection in the field regarding the reifying and naturalizing functions of positivist epistemology in IR, and in shedding light on the role of language and discourse in shaping evolving power relations, Poststructuralists’ heuristic project has not managed to escape the pitfalls of reification, functionalism, and structuralism. The chapter is divided in three parts. In the first part, I analyse Poststructuralists’ epistemological reflection regarding the constitutive relation between power, knowledge and discourse. I argue that despite its valid critique of positivist science and its silence regarding issue of historical change, Poststructuralism’s own remedy remains prisoner of a form of stasis. I argue that its rejection of meta-narratives and of historical epistemology condemn Poststructuralism to episodic representations of changing social orders whose only point of focus is toward the contingent relation between power and knowledge within a given linguistic economy of discourse. I argue that if Poststructuralism draws attention to the issue of change in pointing to moments of rupture in time, it explicitly eschew explanations of the causes of change.

Résumé du colloque

Le colloque coïncidera avec le lancement de la traduction française de l'ouvrage de Ellen Meiksins Wood, ''L'origine du capitalisme''. Il sera donc largement annoncé par la maison d'édition montréalaise Lux. Pour l'occasion, l'auteure de l'ouvrage, Ellen Meiksins Wood sera présente et prononcera une conférence. L'événement sera également l'occasion de renforcer les échanges entre le département de sociologie de l'UQAM et le département de science politique de l'Université York à Toronto.