Political Theory: Issues and Challenges

This section, supported by the ECPR Standing Group on Political Theory, aims to showcase recent work in all subfields of political theory, including work on normative, conceptual, methodological and historical topics, construed broadly. We welcome work from all traditions in political theory, including analytical, formal, feminist, critical and post-structural approaches, as well as cross disciplinary research that draws on political science, philosophy, history, law, sociology, economics, cultural and literary studies. We aim both to support cutting edge research within particular traditions and to facilitate engagement across sub-disciplinary boundaries. As in many other disciplines, work in political theory has become increasingly specialised, and the gap amongst its component subfields, traditions and approaches continues to widen. This section will facilitate engagement across the sub-disciplinary barriers in two ways. First, we encourage panels that will address problems, themes and concepts from multiple perspectives. Suitable topics might include, but are not limited to, political friendship, the family, emotions and politics, power, democracy, and political representation. Second, we also welcome panel and paper proposals on methodological concerns that reach across sub-disciplinary divisions. Suitable topics might include, but are not limited to, the challenges of understanding political ideologies or concepts, the nature of ‘the political’ and its significance for political theory, the prospects and challenges of comparative political theory, and the role of normative theory, such as the extent to which a theory should be ‘ideal’ or stay within the boundaries of the ‘feasible’. In addition, this section will also serve as a forum for specialised work on particular topics and within particular traditions and approaches. Consequently, we seek papers and panels that address both the complexities and diversity of particular traditions in political theory (such as, for example, pragmatism, critical theory or realism) and particular problems or issues from the confines of one particular tradition, such as the analytical tradition, within which we welcome both conceptual and normative work. We have solicited panel proposals from members of the ECPR Political Theory Specialist Group, and already have seven panel proposals (listed below). The additional slot will be filled by opening a call for proposals once the section is accepted, at which point further adjustments to the panel themes may be made. Proposed Section Chair: Andrew Shorten, University of Limerick (Andrew.Shorten@ul.ie) Andrew Shorten is a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Limerick (Ireland) and currently holds a visiting fellowship at the Institute of Philosophy in the School of Advanced Studies, University of London (UK). He was previously a Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow at University College, London (UK) and has published book chapters and articles on toleration, multiculturalism, federalism, nationalism, language policy and secession rights. From 2010 to 2013 he served as co-convenor for the Political Theory Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association of Ireland. He is currently co-convenor of the ECPR Political Theory Standing Group. Proposed Section co-Chair: Adina Preda, University of Limerick (Adina.Preda@ul.ie) Adina Preda is a Lecturer in Political Theory, interested especially in questions related to rights as well as distributive and global justice and justice and health. Before coming to Limerick, she held positions at the University of Montreal, at the Hoover Chair, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and at University College Dublin. She has published several articles on rights, especially group rights (Journal of Moral Philosophy, Political Studies) and the human right to health. She is currently co-convenor of the ECPR Political Theory Standing Group.