Entrenching ‘identity norms’ of tolerance and engagement: lessons from rapprochement between North and South Korea

Revisiting the nexus of identities and norms, this article argues that actors’ attitude and policies are not the automatic reflection of a salient identity but the articulation of what I call ‘identity norms’, defined as standards of appropriate behaviour for in-group actors vis-à-vis an out-group....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of international studies 2007-07, Vol.33 (3), p.489-509
Main Author: SON, KEY-YOUNG
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilateral relations
Cold War
Cold wars
Cooperation
Diplomacy
Engagement
Entrepreneurs
Government
Government relations
Group identity
Identity
Identity politics
International organizations
International political organizations
International politics
International relations
Interrogating Humanitarian Concerns
National identity
National security
Norms
North Korea
Political identity
Political norms
Politics
Public policy
Social identity
Social norms
South Korea
Tolerance
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Summary:Revisiting the nexus of identities and norms, this article argues that actors’ attitude and policies are not the automatic reflection of a salient identity but the articulation of what I call ‘identity norms’, defined as standards of appropriate behaviour for in-group actors vis-à-vis an out-group. Central to my argument is that identities become straw men at times of momentous change, whilst identity norms, crafted and propagated through an intersubjective understanding amongst different actors, emerge as a guiding principle in state-to-state relations. By illustrating the trajectories of reconciliation between North and South Korea, this article examines the anomalies of how antagonistic states forge friendly ties.
ISSN:0260-2105
1469-9044
DOI:10.1017/S0260210507007620