What Is Comparative Political Theory?

Abstract

This paper examines what is involved in using comparative methods within political theory and whether there should be a comparative political theory subfield. It argues that political theory consists of multiple kinds of activities that are either primarily "scholarly" or "engaged." It is easy to imagine how scholarly forms of political theory can be, and have been, comparative. The paper critiques (not rejects) existing calls for the creation of a comparative political theory subfield focused on the study of non-Western texts. Comparative political theory needs to explain why it is not merely expanding the canon to include non-Western texts and why a certain non-Western text is "alien," thus justifying the moniker comparative. Ten discrete theses are presented that argue that the strongest warrant for an engaged comparative political theory is the first-order evaluation of the implication of the contestations of norms, values, and principles between distinct and coherent doctrines of thought.Political theories wholly removed from the controversies of their world become a banal and trivial "wisdom" literature. --Judith ShklarIn recent years, there has been a steady increase in the visibility of comparative political theory in the field of political science. Just over twelve years ago, there was an explicit call "to inaugurate or launch a field of inquiry which is either nonexistent or at most fledgling and embryonic in contemporary academia: the field of 'comparative political theory' or 'comparative political philosophy.' What is meant by these titles is an inquiry which, in a sustained fashion, reflects upon the status and meaning of political life no longer in a

On the Coptic question

“…One thing that The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism lacks is a critical edge. According to March (2009b), comparative political theory may rehabilitate foreign views and make them seem more comprehensible and attractive, which Mura has done. Comparative political theory may also conjecture in another discourse, for example, to nudge Islamism to facilitate peaceful, egalitarian relations between existential faiths (March, 2009a).…”

Comparative Political Thought

“…The first aim raises a challenging set of questions: is a focus on non-Western thought sufficient to characterize a study as 'comparative political thought', or does it need to fulfil additional criteria to qualify as comparative inquiry, as some have argued (Freeden 2007;March 2009)? There has been a long history of centralizing the Western canon, and also of the post-colonial critique of Eurocentrism within political theory.…”

“…Does bringing texts from Asia, Africa and Latin America into the canon then suffice for comparative inquiry in political thought? In this vein of reflection, the use of the label 'comparative political thought' simply as an account of a thinker's geographical location, independent of whether comparison in a substantive sense is engaged, appears to ghettoize non-Western political thought (March 2009).…”

“…Within CPT, political theory has been construed broadly, to include analytical political philosophy (sometimes called 'normative' theory), history of political thought, critical theory and interpretation, the study of political ideologies and discourse analysis (Freeden 2007;March 2009). Constructing normative arguments about what it is right to pursue, advancing understanding of thinkers, texts and traditions, as well as enhancing explanations of political phenomena, all count as political theory inasmuch as they focus on concepts and arguments that are at the heart of political theory.…”

“…Most broadly, political theory has been comparative since the time of Aristotle; indeed, some have argued that political theory is inherently comparative (Euben 1999;Freeden and Vincent 2013). Most narrowly, CPT might compare cultural difference between Western and non-Western thought (March 2009). However, as noted earlier, whether comparison across a Western/non-Western difference is a necessary criterion for comparative political thought is a matter of continuing debate in the field.…”