Concepts of Politics in Post-War Political Science

Abstract

Every scientific discipline has to define its object. For Political Science as a discipline, the concept of “politics”, and to a certain extent “the political”, are crucial in this respect. Against this backdrop, the panel focuses on notions of politics in Political Science since World War II in order to examine, reconstruct and evaluate their conceptual as well as theoretical transformations. With the aim of mapping out conceptual currents in Political Science and identifying the history of its key terms, the panel analyses central lines of reception and theoretical interpretation of terms such as “Realpolitik” in realist International Relations, “the political” in Dolf Sternbergers political thought, and “democracy” in social democratic theory. It also covers the relation between political action in institutions outside academia and conceptual change in Political Science, in particular the reference to Political Science and Political Scientists in plenary debates in the German Bundestag.