Open horizons: the temporal visions of reflexive realism

Hom, A. R. and Steele, B. J. (2010) Open horizons: the temporal visions of reflexive realism. International Studies Review, 12(2), pp. 271-300. (doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2486.2010.00931.x)

Abstract

This paper excavates another conceptual thread running through much of what has been termed “reflexive realism”—the importance of open temporality. We argue that the ethical and political cores of reflexive realism owe much to a theoretical confrontation with the ultimate reality of open-ended, indeterminate time. Where the legacy of classical realism embedded significant ambiguities in these tensions, reflexive realism can provide a more developed ethical framework for political action through an engagement, via open time, with research often viewed as outside the purview of political realism. We then uncover an aesthetic understanding of action and theory to show how classical realism’s indeterminate view of time, instead of limiting and even debasing any and all human efforts, can be mobilized as a resource for ethical evaluation and action. The paper’s concluding discussion demonstrates this by examining the contributions that open time can make to the perennial dilemma of humanitarian intervention.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hom, Andrew
• Authors: Hom, A. R., and Steele, B. J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: International Studies Review
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• ISSN: 15219488
• ISSN (Online): 1468-2486