Bir Sosyal Bilim Olarak Uluslararası İlişkiler
International Relations as a Social Science

Summary/Abstract: A long-standing debate – initiated primarily by natural scientists – centres on whether the social sciences in general, and disciplines such as psychology, sociology, history, and others in particular, can be considered "scientific" in the same sense as the natural sciences. This discussion has held a prominent place in academic circles for many years. In this context, the present study aims to offer a perspective on the scientific status of International Relations through a general-to-specific trajectory. It explores what constitutes science, to what extent the social sciences meet these scientific criteria, and how International Relations positions itself as a discipline within the broader field of social sciences. Adopting content analysis, a qualitative research method, this study examines the discipline of International Relations through the three foundational dimensions of science: ontology, epistemology, and methodology. In this regard, it is observed that the ontological foundations of the discipline were laid through the Idealist-Realist debate and later evolved with the rise of the positivist–post-positivist divide. The epistemological structure of the field has similarly been shaped by this positivist and post-positivist discussion, with recent developments such as pluralism and analytical eclecticism bringing new dimensions to epistemological thinking within the discipline. Finally, in terms of methodology, the Traditionalist-Behaviouralist debate has played a key role. Furthermore, attempts to integrate analytical eclecticism into methodological approaches have contributed to a diversification of research practices in International Relations.

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