The Practice Turn in International Relations
The approach developed by Vincent Pouliot in his article in International Organization charts various avenues for rethinking the functioning of security communities (in this case NATO) on the basis of social practices, and more specifically the logic of practicality (unarticulated know-how that underpins action). The purpose of this article is to discuss two aspects of this approach. The first has to do with Bourdieu’s model, which serves as a matrix for the intelligibility of practices. It consists of integrating elements disregarded by Pouliot, including information capital, rites, the logic of giving and counter-giving, and the nature of diplomacy vs. politics. The second involves alternative analyses derived from normative theory and offering other possible scenarios for exploring this area, particularly the thought of Arendt.