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Offensive Political Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2010

Andrew Rehfeld
Andrew Rehfeld
Affiliation:
Washington University in St. Louis
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Abstract

Penn State's decision to eliminate political theory set off existential angst about the status of political theory in the discipline. The organized, defensive responses to that decision failed to answer the central question it posed: Is “political theory” social science, and if not, why does it belong? I argue that social scientific political theory is political science and its many strains—conceptual, normative, and explanatory—belong in the discipline on their own terms. Humanistic research, like dermatology or music theory, is not political science and as such it should find another home. By explaining why (and what kinds of) political theory is political science this article may wind up being offensive in both senses of the word. But it is meant to be in service to a more secure, stable, and productive interdisciplinary future for all kinds of political theory going forward.

Type
Research Article
Information
Perspectives on Politics , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 465 - 486
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2010

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Foundations of Political Theory Letter

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Written by Ben Barber and signed by Sixty Others

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