Conceptual Change in Political Theory and Discourse

Abstract

Political concepts play a central role within political science. They are analytical tools, but also an important subject of research as key constitutive elements of the political processes that are investigated. Concepts are not fixed or stable entities, but are in continuous transformation, their meaning depending on the particular context(s) in which they are to be found. This transformative and controversial nature of political concepts is one of the key insights of conceptual history. Although this is a broad and heterogeneous field of study, there appear to be two common ideas that are shared by conceptual historians. The first idea is that concepts, especially heavily contested concepts such as freedom, democracy, et cetera, are not merely elements of/in the political, but are rather formative: concepts can be used as tools or weapons to determine facts, necessities and relevant social problems, and ultimately to define the scope of what is considered ‘political’. Conceptual changes are explained in their relation to social, economic or political changes and vice versa, dissolving to a large extend the dichotomy between theory and practice. The second common idea in conceptual history is that the meaning of concepts is acquired in their use within a particular historical context. This entails an explicitly historical approach in which both the synchronic and diachronic axes of concepts are taken into account. In this panel, we will discuss conceptual changes in various European political arenas, and the relation of these changes to societal and political struggles. We welcome all kind of paper proposals about the role of political concepts in political science – both as analytical tools and as the subject of research. Current papers deal with conceptual change in everyday political discourse as well as in political theory and are all somehow related to democracy. They examine the use and transformation of concepts such as ‘democratism’, democratisation, (de)politicisation, ‘post-democratic’ concepts, economic democracy, workers’ councils, and the concept of peace in (late) antiquity. Papers in this direction are preferred, but other subjects are also very welcome.

Title	Details
From Economic Democracy to Market Adaptation – The Flourishing and Fall of a Political Concept	View Paper Details
Discovering Modernity. The Political Language of Polish Democratic Society in the 1830s and 1840s	View Paper Details
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