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Abstract

This article is an attempt to conceptualize and evaluate the contributions of the idea of dialogue of civilizations to the constructivist theory of international relations. The first, introductory part of the article deals with the concept of dialogue of civilizations and shows how it is in contrast with the mainstream realist perception of international politics in various aspects. It is argued that constructivism with its emphasis on ontological aspects of international relations, the constructedness of international reality, and the transformability of international relations paves the way for introducing moral, normative, and value-based arguments emphasized in this idea. In the second part of the article constructivism and its main arguments will be examined. The third part will be dedicated to the contributions of the notion of dialogue of civilizations to constructivism on the basis of theoretical and metatheoretical themes discussed in constructivism. The main themes include international actors and their identities, the constructedness of identity, the impact of ideational factors thereon, and the possibilities for change in actors’ identity and hence in the international intersubjective structures.