The regressing ‘culture of anarchy’ in ancient China and its implications for Wendt's progressive constructivism

Abstract

What does the qualitative increase in the brutality of international relations in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China (770–221bc) mean for the implicit progressivism of Alexander Wendt's constructivism, as espoused in his landmark text Social Theory of International Politics (1999)? Wendt's constructivism is useful in understanding international systems outside the contemporary Westphalian order and provides an excellent analytical tool for understanding ancient China. However, this article argues that Wendt's implicit teleology of progressively cooperative ‘cultures of anarchy’ in international politics is empirically questionable. It is demonstrated that such a progression is not supported by the historical evidence of ancient China, which represents an instance of an international system ‘regressing’ from a more to a less cooperative international social structure.

Keywords:

• China
• international relations theory
• Alexander Wendt

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert William Flawith

Robert William Flawith has completed a Master of International Studies (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications), both from the University of Sydney. In 2009 he was awarded the Hedley Bull Prize for Postgraduate Coursework by the University of Sydney's School of Social and Political Sciences. Robert has previously worked and studied in Mainland China