Would 100 Global Workshops on Theory Building Make A Difference?

Year 2018, , 65 - 80, 13.06.2018

Knud Erik Jorgensen

https://doi.org/10.20991/allazimuth.335814

Cited By: 2

Abstract

The paper rests on the assumption that theoretical knowledge is valuable.

However, such an assumption cannot be taken for granted. Indeed the first

objective is to examine the comparative advantages of theoretical knowledge.

Second, if 100 theory building workshops would make a difference, what exactly

would the difference be? After all, movie production is said to be dominated by

Hollywood but Bollywood produces more movies than Hollywood. Nonetheless,

the world market is dominated by Hollywood. Hence, if a distinction between

academic domestic and global markets is applied, theory building for a

number of domestic or regional markets might impact ‘consumption’ patterns

in domestic or regional markets but not necessarily the world market.

Moreover, the apparent need for 100 workshops rests on the assumption that

the IR discipline is under American hegemony but this assumption is severely

challenged by empirical research showing that American hegemony remains

a fact in institutional terms but not in terms of theoretical fads and debates

being followed in the rest of the world. In short, intellectual global hegemony

is largely a chimera. Finally, the paper argues that 100 workshops might be

necessary but could turn out to be waste of time and for two reasons. While

theorizing a bygone world is fine, the workshops should address contemporary

issues and be future-oriented. Furthermore, the workshops should contribute to

redefine the (contested) core of the discipline.

Keywords

Theory, theory building, hegemony, markets, discipline, orthodoxy

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