Is there a need to remodel constructivism to be more politically attuned? Author Piki Ish-Shalom calls for an activist academy that engages society and the polity to prevent the watering down of democracy, while helping to create a space for criticism. In this book, he suggests several concrete measures for this engagement within three spheres: individual theoretical work, the academic community as a whole, and within society and the polity. Beyond the Veil of Knowledge suggests that essentially contested concepts are a key medium that politicians use to try to minimize public resistance to their political goals. For constructivists, this means that the social construction of both social knowledge and the social world can be understood as the sociopolitical construction of knowledge and the sociopolitical world.

About the Author
Piki Ish-Shalom is Professor of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Reviews
This book, from a well-respected scholar, provides new and important insights on the responsibilities and tensions of IR academics in relation to the policy world."" - Anthony Lang, University of St. Andrews



Book Information
ISBN 9780472131204
Author Piki Ish-Shalom
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint The University of Michigan Press
Publisher The University of Michigan Press
Weight(grams) 519g