The Future of Methods in Political Theory

Having remained implicit for much of the discipline’s history, questions of method and methodology have seen a dramatic resurgence of interest among political theorists over the last two decades. Political theorists are increasingly expected to be explicit and reflective about the methods and methodological stances they rely on in their work, and some have proposed novel methodological techniques and approaches for conducting political theory research. So far, however, methodological developments have been anchored around a small number of debates with a limited articulation of their theoretical and practical implications. Debates over the role of ideal and non-ideal theory, and the relevance of real-world politics and practices, for example, have been important, not least in carving out space for original political theory projects that do not necessarily fit within established paradigms. Yet, they have often yielded only brief consideration of the actual methods of inquiry, analysis, and argument on which political theorists rely in their research. This Workshop will address the pressing need for a deeper methodological conversation on the diverse methods – whether analytical, empirical, interpretive and/or critical – that political theorists could and should employ in the next generation of research within the discipline. The Workshop will build on: a) past ECPR Standing Group on Methods of Normative Political Theory events b) the limited but important existing literature on political theory methodology, in particular edited volumes by Marc Stears & David Leopold, and by Adrian Blau, a monograph by Jonathan Floyd, and some crucial journal publications on ‘grounded normative theory (Ackerly et al. 2021)’, ‘ethnographic political theory (Herzog and Zacka 2019; Longo and Zacka 2019)’, ‘comparative political theory (March 2009)’ and ‘realist political theory (Rossi and Sleat 2014)’, among others. The Workshop will make a major advance on these foundations by focusing more squarely on innovative methods, new understandings of traditional methods, and syntheses of previously disconnected methods. Our aim is to move beyond mapping, articulating and contesting existing methodological paradigms, to focus on positive innovation in the way political theory is conducted. The Workshop will therefore ask, in short:  What should the future of methods in political theory look like?  What new methods or combinations of methods might be employed?  How might existing methods be strengthened, reinterpreted, or recombined?  How should innovative methods be utilized?  How should the contrasting functions and styles of different methods be understood?  How might new 21st century challenges for political theory be most effectively methodologically handled? By convening a leading group of scholars from different theoretical approaches and fields of research in contemporary political theory, this Workshop has the potential to inculcate a major step-change in the diversity, rigour, and originality of methods and approaches within the entire sub-discipline of political theory. We aim for the Workshop to provide the foundation for an edited volume, special issue, or collaborative grant proposal in this area.