Contemporary Political Thought

Alan Finlayson is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Wales, Swansea. Co-editor (with Jeremy Valentine) of Politics and Post-Structuralism: An Introduction (EUP, 2002) and co-author of Contemporary Social and Political Thought: An Introduction (1999)

Section 1: Histories, Interpretations and Pre-Cursors; Section Introduction; Chapter One: Political Theory in the Twentieth Century by John Seery; Chapter Two: Interpreting Political Thought by Melissa Lane; Section 2: Traditions and their discontents; Section Introduction; Chapter 3: Liberalisms by Mark Evans; Chapter 4: Conservatisms by Alan Finlayson; Chapter 5: Marxisms and Post-Marxisms by Terrell Carver; Section 3: Alternative Visions and Revisions; Section Introduction; Chapter 6: Communitarianism by Mike Kenny; Chapter 7: Feminism by Kate Nash; Chapter 8: Ecologism and Environmentalism by Tim Hayward; Chapter 9: Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism by Iain MacKenzie; Section 4: New Directions?; Section Introduction; Chapter 10: Multi-Culturalism and the Theory and Practice of Normative Political theory by Tariq Modood and Adrian Favell; Chapter 11: Political Thought Beyond the Western Tradition by Oliver; Leaman; Chapter 12: Democratic Theory for a New Century by Anna Marie Smith; Detailed TOC; Preface; Notes on Contributors; General Introduction; Section 1: Histories, Interpretations and Pre-Cursors; Section Introduction; Chapter One: Political Theory in the Twentieth Century by John Seery; Readings; Hannah Arendt, 'Understanding and Politics'; Sheldon Wolin, 'Political Theory as a Vocation', American Political Science Review; Michel Foucault, 'Right of Death and Power Over Life', extract from The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction by Michel Foucault; Chapter Two: Interpreting Political Thought by Melissa Lane; Readings; R.G. Collingwood, selection from An Autobiography; John Dunn, selection from 'The History of Political Theory' in The History of Political Theory and Other Essays; H-G Gadamer, selection from Truth and Method; Section 2: Traditions and their discontents; Section Introduction; Chapter 3: Liberalisms by Mark Evans; Readings:; Alan Gewirth, extract from 'The Epistemology of Human Rights', Social Philosophy and Policy; Richard Rorty, extract from 'Human Rights, Rationality, and Sentimentality' from Truth and Progress: Philosophical Papers Volume 3; John Rawls, extract from Political Liberalism; John Rawls, extract from Interview with Bernard Prusak, Commonweal; Sir Isaiah Berlin, extract from 'The Pursuit of the Ideal' from The Crooked Timber of Humanity; John Gray, 'Oakeshott on Law, Liberty and Civil Association' from his Liberalisms; Chapter 4: Conservatisms by Alan Finlayson; Readings:; Michael Oakeshott, extract from 'Rationalism in Politics' in Rationalism and Politics and Other Essays; Roger Scruton, extract from The Meaning of Conservatism; Chapter 5: Marxisms and Post-Marxisms by Terrell Carver; Readings:; Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, extract from Hegemony and Socialist Strategy; Alex Callinicos, extracts from Theories and Narratives: Reflections on the Philosophy of History; Section 3: Alternative Visions and Revisions; Section Introduction; Chapter 6: Communitarianism by Mike Kenny; Readings:; Michael Sandel, 'The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self', Political Theory; Mary Ann Glendon, extracts from Rights Talk; Amitai Etzioni, extracts from The New Golden Rule; Geoff Mulgan, 'Beyond the Lure of Off-The-Shelf Ethics', The Independent; Chapter 7: Feminism by Kate Nash; Readings:; Anne Phillips, extract from Which Equalities Matter?; Liz Frazer and Nicola Lacey, extract from The Politics of Community; Iris Marion Young, extract from Throwing Like a Girl and Other Essays in Feminist Philosophy and Social Theory; Judith Butler, 'Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of Postmodernism' in Judith Butler and Joan Scott, Feminists Theorize the Political; Chapter 8: Ecologism and Environmentalism by Tim Hayward; Readings:; Andrew Dobson, extract from Green Political Thought; Robert Goodin, extract from Green Political Theory; Vandana Shiva, extract from Staying Alive; Chapter 9: Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism by Iain MacKenzie; Readings:; Chantal Mouffe, extracts from The Return of the Political; William Connolly, extract from 'A Critique of Pure Politics', Philosophy and Social Criticism; Judith Butler, extract from Gender Trouble; Section 4: New Directions?; Section Introduction; Chapter 10: Multi-Culturalism and the Theory and Practice of Normative Political Theory by Tariq Modood and Adrian Favell; Readings:; Will Kymlicka, extract from Multicultural Citizenship; Iris Marion Young, extract from Justice and the Politics of Difference; Bhikhu Parekh, extract from Rethinking Multiculturalism; Chapter 11: Political Thought Beyond the Western Tradition by Oliver Leaman; Readings:; D.T. Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture; Mao Tze Tung, Selected Works of Mao Tze Tung, vol. 1; Khomeini, Islam and Revolution; Chapter 12: Democratic Theory for a New Century by Anna Marie Smith; Readings:; Judith Butler, 'Sexual Inversions' in Donna Stanton (ed.) Discourses of Sexuality; Chandra Talpade Mohanty, 'Women Workers and Capitalist Scripts: Ideologies of Domination, Common Interests and the Politics of Solidarity', in M. Jacqui Alexander and Chandra Talpade Mohanty (eds.), Feminist Genealogies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures; Gwendolyn Mink, Welfare's End; Bibliography; Glossary; Acknowledgements.