J. Ann Tickner

In the Handbook of Political Science, published in 1975,
Richard Smoke claimed that "the existing theory . . . of the field [is] prob-
ably not capable of coping with a world which is changing so rapidly and so
dangerously, both in its military technology and in the patterns of its inter-
national politics" ( Greenstein and Polsby 1975: 339). In spite of these
prescient warnings, it is doubtful whether any of the authors in the
"International Politics" volume of the Handbook could have predicted the
extent of the changes that have taken place since its publication both in the
international system and in the discipline of international relations. ¹ As we
grope toward a better understanding of this confusing and changing world,
the optimism about the possibility of theoretical progress, which many of
these authors expressed, has largely dissipated. After a brief outline of the
contents of the Handbook, I will elaborate on the erosion of this theoretical
consensus. Having reviewed some post-positivist critiques of mainstream
theory, I will suggest some ways of facilitating conversations across episte-
mological and theoretical divides. In conclusion, I will examine how some
recent feminist perspectives are making contributions to this reconstruc-
tive project. The intention of this paper is to highlight critical and feminist
approaches rather than provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

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