Political Theory

Methods and Approaches

Edited by David Leopold and Marc Stears

Political Theory: Methods and Approaches is one of the first books to analyze research methods in political theory and political philosophy. Drawing together essays by a distinguished set of contributors, this rich and varied collection introduces readers to many of the often unelaborated methods and approaches that currently inform the work of leading scholars in the field. The selections consider how political theory should be conducted today and also examine the complex and contested connections between political theory and a range of adjacent disciplines--moral philosophy, the empirical social sciences, the history of political thought, the world of "real" politics, critical social theory, and ideology.

Political Theory

Methods and Approaches

Edited by David Leopold and Marc Stears

Description

Political Theory: Methods and Approaches is one of the first books to analyze research methods in political theory and political philosophy. Drawing together essays by a distinguished set of contributors, this rich and varied collection introduces students to many of the often unelaborated methods and approaches that currently inform the work of leading scholars in the field. The selections consider how political theory should be conducted today and also examine the complex and contested connections between political theory and a range of adjacent disciplines--moral philosophy, the empirical social sciences, the history of political thought, the world of "real" politics, critical social theory, and ideology. Both individually and as a collection, these essays will promote understanding and provoke further debate amongst students and established scholars alike.

Political Theory

Methods and Approaches

Edited by David Leopold and Marc Stears

Acknowledgements
Notes on Contributors
Introduction, David Leopold and Marc Stears
1. Analytical Political Philosophy, Daniel McDermott
2. Political Philosophy for Earthlings, David Miller
3. Political Theory, Social Science, and Real Politics, Adam Swift
4. Why be Formal?, Iwao Hirose
5. Recognition as Fact and Norm: The Method of Critique, Lois McNay
6. Dialectical Approaches, David Leopold
7. Political Theory and History, Mark Philp
8. Using Archival Sources to Theorize about Politics, Sudhir Hazareesingh and Karma Nabulsi
9. Political Theory and the Boundaries of Politics, Elizabeth Frazer
10. Thinking Politically and Thinking about Politics: Language, Interpretation, and Ideology, Michael Freeden
Further Reading
Index

Political Theory

Methods and Approaches

Edited by David Leopold and Marc Stears

Author Information

Contributors:

Elizabeth Frazer is Official Fellow and Tutor in Politics, New College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Politics, University of Oxford.
Michael Freeden is Professor of Politics and founding director of the Centre for Political Ideologies at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and Professorial Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford.
Sudhir Hazareesingh is University Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford; Fellow in Politics at Balliol College; and Fellow of the British Academy.
Iwao Hirose is Assistant Professor in Ethics in the Philosophy Department and the McGill School of Environment, McGill University, and Research Fellow in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne.
Karma Nabulsi is University Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford and Fellow in Politics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
David Leopold teaches political theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and is a Fixed-Term Fellow in Politics at Mansfield College, Oxford.
Daniel McDermott is a University Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and a Fellow in Politics at Keble College, Oxford.
Lois McNay is a Reader in Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford and a Fellow in Politics at Somerville College Oxford.
David Miller is Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and an Official Fellow of Nuffield College.
Mark Philp is a University Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations and is a Fellow and Tutor in Politics at Oriel College, Oxford.
Marc Stears is University Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and Fellow in Politics at University College, Oxford.
Adam Swift is CUF Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, and Fellow in Politics and Sociology at Balliol College, Oxford.
Stuart White is a Tutorial Fellow in Politics at Jesus College, and Director of the Public Policy Unit in the Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University.