国际关系学的“关系转向”:本体论的演进与方法论意义

The Relational Turn in International Relations Theory:Seeking Progress in Ontology and Methodology

国际关系学的"关系转向"兴起于20世纪90年代末,该理论转向对以实体主义为基础的主流国际关系理论构成重大挑战。尽管都以关系本体为旨归,但关系主义学者的主张却不尽相同。过程关系主义、过程建构主义、共在存在论和量子关系理论在体现对关系本体的多样化理解上具有典型性,也表现出充分的本体论自觉。它们之间围绕着关系本体论而展开的对话和论辩体现了关系本体论的演进趋势。与关系本体直接相关的是其方法论关系理性。关系理性的多种表现形式为人们理解国际社会的差异和冲突提供了丰富的思路,更重要的是,关系理性可以成为冲突化解之道,使一个在实体主义框架下无以可能的世界成为可能。以文化为方法和进一步借助量子理论是关系主义下一步发展的两个重要思路。此外,关系主义的发展对人类中心主义提出有力的挑战,这将使国际关系学科的研究内容和方法面临重大变革。

Emerging in the late 1990 s,the “relational turn” in International Relations(IR)poses challenges for the mainstream(and most)IR theories, which have been predicated on a Newtonian substantialist ontology of things. While characterized by a common primary commitment to relational ontology,advocates of relationalism do not support one particular theory. Rather,relationalism comes in many flavors and constitutes a family of theories.This article sketches the major variants of relational ontology by unfolding conversations and debates among four of the relational theories that have presented markedly ontological sensibility,i.e.,processual relationalism,processual constructivism,ontology of coexistence,and quantum relationalism.My discussion reveals an evolutionary trajectory of relational ontology.It also allows us to examine the methodological implications of relationalism.If rationality is the methodology rooted in substantialism,then its counterpart entailed by relational commitments is relationality.Relationality manifested and specified in various patterns adds value to IR in ways that not only provides new conceptual tools to rethink differences in the field,but also promises solutions to conflicts-an issue central to international society(or more precisely,the substantialist international society).The article concludes by considering two fruitful avenues for the next generation of relational scholarship and the broader implications of the relational turn for IR and beyond.