# The New Constructivism - David McCourt | Ep. 3 (2026)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/the-new-constructivism-david-mccourt-ep-3-2026
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/the-new-constructivism-david-mccourt-ep-3-2026.md
Podcast: [The IR thinker](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770)
Published: 2026-03-10T14:20:32+00:00
Episode link: https://www.irthinker.com/new-constructivism-david-mccourt
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914/e/69b028b110e0355e0d5b8c46/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ir-thinker-6691770/episodes/the-new-constructivism-david-mccourt-ep-3-2026
Duration seconds: 4224

## Resource

In this episode, Professor McCourt unpacks the foundations of New Constructivism: where it came from, what it demands of researchers, and where it's heading. From the theory/method distinction to the practice and relational turns, from C. Wright Mills to Multiple Correspondence Analysis, this is a wide-ranging conversation about how social science can move beyond positivist inheritances without losing analytical rigor. We also explore New Constructivism's blind spots, its uneven development across the US and Europe.  David McCourt David McCourt  is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Davis, where he teaches sociological and international theory. His research sits at the intersection of political sociology and international relations, with a focus on the social foundations of state action in world politics. Empirically, his work centres on the foreign policies of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Theoretically, he usually draws on constructivist, practice-based, and relational approaches to examine how states define and enact their roles on the international stage. Publications: Constructivism’s Contemporary Crisis and the Challenge of Reflexivity Practice Theory and Relationalism as the New Constructivism Domestic Contestation Over Foreign Policy, Role-based and Otherwise: Three Cautionary Cases The New Constructivism in International Relations Theory The End of Engagement: America’s China and Russia Experts and U.S. Strategy Since 1989 The Dragon Defined: How Washington, Canberra, and London Reimagined China Content 00:00 - Introduction 02:37 - Core Principles of New Constructivism 19:24 - Is the Theory/Method Distinction Itself a Positivist Inheritance? 24:00 - Methodology vs. Methods: The…

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