Social Constructivism 93the other way around. By extension, state conduct is shaped by elite beliefs, identities,
and social norms. Individuals and collectivities forge, shape, and change culture through
ideas and practices. State and national interests are the result of the social identities
of these actors. Thus, the objects of study are the norms and practices of individuals
and the collectivity.^24 Ted Hopf offers a simple analogy:
The scenario is a fire in a theater where all run for the exits. But absent
knowledge of social practices of constitutive norms, structure, even in this
seemingly overdetermined circumstance, is still indeterminate. Even in a
theater with just one door, while all run for that exit, who goes first?
Are they the strongest or the disabled, the women or the children, the aged
or the infirm, or is it just a mad dash? Determining the outcome will
require knowing more about the situation than about the distribution of
material power or the structure of authority. One will need to know about
the culture, norms, institutions, procedures, rules, and social practices
that constitute the actors and the structure alike.^25Constructivism explains how ideas such as “crimes against humanity” can evolve into power ful
international norms and laws. The pre ce dent for war crimes trials established at Nuremberg
after World War II has since been replicated around the world.