The Concept of Socialization

Socialization is a complex and ambiguous concept. The connection of socialization with a wide range of themes like national identity formation, change in interests, compliance with international norms, and the effects of international institutions put socialization and identity at the center of IR studies. There is a small but rapidly growing body of literature within the field of IR and in EU studies on socialization (Finnemore and Sikkink 1998; Risse et al. 1999b; Wendt 1999; Alderson 2001; Johnston 2001; Flockhart 2006; Schimmelfennig et al. 2006; Checkel 2005).

Socialization is generally referred to as a process by which the newcomer becomes incorporated into organized patterns of interaction (Johnston 2001: 494). It is ‘the process of inducting actors into the norms and rules of a given community’ (Zürn and Checkel 2005: 1046). The process starts with an introduction to the new rules/norms/identities and proceeds through learning or ‘internalization’ (Schimmelfennig 2003; Johnston 2001; Risse 2000; Checkel 2005; Flockhart 2006). Throughout this process, institutional conditions and informal/formal rules structure social life while mechanisms such as instrumental bargaining, role playing, or persuasion shape which behavioral practices, norms of appropriateness, and outcome preferences are internalized by the political actors. The internalization of these practices, norms, and preferences are mostly regarded and analyzed on the individual level, as it is argued that they are internalized only by individual actors. However, the impact of these practices, norms, and preferences are far-reaching. Socialization refers to both individuals and groups. The interactions among individuals also shape the group's features. Above all, the shared practices, norms, and preferences also characterize and shape the identity of larger social aggregates such as bureaucratic agencies, political parties, and countries (Beyers 2005: 900). The early constructivists in the IR socialization literature focused on the theoretical possibility of socialization and ignored the empirical analysis of the socialization process. For instance, Wendt assumes that identities can change through interaction. However, these interactions are lacking in communication. He underlines social construction and interaction but does not emphasize the linguistic aspect enough (Zehfuss 2001; Checkel 2004).