This work critically examines James Grant's concept of agential constructivism. It highlights both its epistemological flaws and its significant role in shaping our understanding of agency within the context of international relations (IR) theory. The paper makes the case that the African continent provides not only alternative case studies but also conceptual resources and foundational critiques that go against the fundamental tenets of prevailing IR frameworks, drawing on African experiences and praxis. The study demonstrates how norm creation in Africa is frequently plural, contested, and transformative through the examination of African interventions, institutional mechanisms such as the Kimberley Process, and intellectual traditions based on precolonial and postcolonial thought. By engaging the works of scholars such as Acharya, Mbembe, Nkrumah, and Ndlovu-Gatsheni, it calls for a more profound rethinking of normativity in global politics. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a more grounded, plural, and decolonized IR, one that recognizes African agency not only in practice but as a necessary force in global theorizing.
Ayen et al. (Thu,) studied this question.