The subfield of comparative political theory moves beyond the traditional focus on western political thought found within much of North American and European political theory. Instead, the subfield orients scholarship toward historical and contemporary theoretical currents of non-western political thought and political activism and encourages comparisons between the Western canon and non-Western traditions of thought. In addition to studying the rich heritage of non-western political thought and deepening cross-cultural theoretical understanding, the subfield of comparative political theory provides an opportunity to examine assumptions within western theoretical traditions by situating them in particular historical and geopolitical contexts.
Are you interested in Comparative Political Theory?
If the answer is yes, then join this 2007 Annual Meeting Working Group! The APSA Annual Meeting is around the corner. With many scholars coming from across the globe, you should hurry and sign up for this or various other working groups!
A working group is a small group of scholars who convene throughout the duration of the conference to discuss a common topic. This working group concerns itself with the study of political theory beyond the traditional boundaries of the Western canon such as the Indian, Chinese, or the Islamic traditions of political thought. CPT suggests that the ideas and arguments from these diverse locations and apparently disparate traditions can be brought to bear on problems in political theory. As an emerging field, CPT embraces methodological pluralism (including historical, hermeneutic, normative, and postcolonial approaches) and welcomes new participants interested in these and other modes of comparative theoretical study, broadly construed. This working group will attend panels with a comparative and/or non-Western theory focus. We will also meet to discuss new areas of research and new was of thinking about the task of CPT, including its relationship to more mainstream political theory, global politics, and comparative politics.
In order to participate in this working group, you must be planning to attend the 2007 Annual Meeting. To sign up or view a description of this working group and other working groups offered at this year’s Annual Meeting in Chicago, visit: http://www.apsanet.org/content_2665.cfm
If you have any questions, please contact James Zarsadiaz at jzarsadiaz@apsanet.org.
If we're missing anyone, please let us know.
1. Democratic Speech in Undemocratic Places: Parrhesia in Medieval Arabic Fables Jennifer London (paper)
2. Rationality Reconsidered through Encounters With South Asian Thought
(panel: Farah Godrej, Brooke Ackerly, Takashi Shogimen, Eva Nag, Matthew
Baxter)
3.Roundtable: Comparative Political Theory: An (Inter)Disciplinary Intervention
(roundtable: Leigh Jenco, Anne Norton, Fred Dallmayr, Shirin Deylami, Michelle
Browers)
4. Political Action in Global Perspective (panel: Leigh Jenco, Delia Alexandru,
Michelle Browers, Laura Janara, Alissa Kessel)
5. Power, Culture and Constructions of the Western Other (panel: Shirin Deylami, Janet Afari, Rafia Zakaria, Ali Aslam, Olivier Ruchet, Kevin Anderson)
6. Race and Political Theory (panel: Diego Von Vacano, Tommy Shelby, Juliet Hooker, Jack Turner, Cristina Beltran)
7. Sovereignty, Secularism and Religion in Comparative Perspective (panel: Fred Dallmayr, Smita Rahman, Bettina Koch, Paulina Espejo, Anders Berg-Sorensen, Russell Fox, Sara Jordan)
If you are hosting an event on comparative political thought, please contact brooke.ackerly@vanderbilt.edu for cross-listing.
The comparative political theory (CPT) listserv is a general mailing list for scholars and students interested in comparative and/or non-western political theory. It is used for general announcements, calls for papers, substantive discussions, and other topics of interest, and is open to anyone.
To subscribe to the list, send an email to:
majordomo@listlink.berkeley.edu. Leave the subject heading blank; in the body of the message, type [without quotes]: "subscribe comparativept". This will subscribe the email address from which you send the message. If you wish to subscribe another email address, in the body of the message type [without quotes]: "subscribe comparativept emailaddress@emailaddress".
To send emails to the entire list, send emails to:
comparativept@lists.berkeley.edu.
If you have any difficulties subscribing or unsubscribing yourself to the list, or if you have general questions, please email Alison Kaufman
at: akaufman@berkeley.edu
