Diffusion Of International Norms "localization" Ideological Study

This study deals with the process of Norm Localization. Norm diffusion has been a key part of the constructivist research agenda over the last decade. Different from regular constructivist perspectives at systematic or national level, Amitav Acharya proposed a dynamic explanation of norm diffusion that described how local agents reconstruct foreign norms to ensure the norms fit with the agents cognitive. This thesis briefly reviews the existing constructivist arguments about norm diffusion, introduces Acharya's theory and provides a case study of norm localization in Southeast Asia and ASEAN, attempting to answer the question of how and why norm localization takes place, and what kind of change it produces. Finally, it argues that a theoretical synthesis of norm localization approach best accounts for the process of norm diffusion and idea spread.