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An Introduction to Political Theory
"This book provides an engaging and intellectually challenging introduction to political ideologies, while at the same time giving an accessible route into the subject for those new to politics. Supported by an outstanding companion website, it has strong claims to be the best undergraduate textbook on ideologies on the market."
Dr. Mike Gough, University of East Anglia
Introduction to Political Theory is a text for the 21st century. It shows students why an understanding of theory is crucial to an understanding of issues and events in a rapidly shifting global political landscape. Bringing together classic and contemporary political concepts and ideologies into one book, this new text introduces the major approaches to political issues that have shaped the modern world, and the ideas that form the currency of political debate.
Introduction to Political Theory relates political ideas to political realities through effective use of examples and cases studies making theory lively, contentious and relevant.
This thoroughly revised and updated second edition contains new chapters on global justice and political violence, as well as an expanded treatment of globalisation and the state.
A wide range of pedagogical features helps to clarify, extend and apply students' understanding of the fundamental ideologies and concepts. This is comprised of:
- Case studies demonstrate how political ideas, concepts and issues manifest in the real world
- 'Focus' boxes encourage students to appreciate alternative viewpoints
- A range of thought provoking photographs challenge students to examine concepts from a different angle
- Suggestions for further reading and weblinks are also provided to help students to further their understanding
Introduction to Political Theory is accompanied by an innovative website with multiple choice questions, biographies of key figures in political theory, further case studies and an innovative 'how to read' feature which helps students get to grips with difficult primary texts.
Dr. Mike Gough, University of East Anglia
Introduction to Political Theory is a text for the 21st century. It shows students why an understanding of theory is crucial to an understanding of issues and events in a rapidly shifting global political landscape. Bringing together classic and contemporary political concepts and ideologies into one book, this new text introduces the major approaches to political issues that have shaped the modern world, and the ideas that form the currency of political debate.
Introduction to Political Theory relates political ideas to political realities through effective use of examples and cases studies making theory lively, contentious and relevant.
This thoroughly revised and updated second edition contains new chapters on global justice and political violence, as well as an expanded treatment of globalisation and the state.
A wide range of pedagogical features helps to clarify, extend and apply students' understanding of the fundamental ideologies and concepts. This is comprised of:
- Case studies demonstrate how political ideas, concepts and issues manifest in the real world
- 'Focus' boxes encourage students to appreciate alternative viewpoints
- A range of thought provoking photographs challenge students to examine concepts from a different angle
- Suggestions for further reading and weblinks are also provided to help students to further their understanding
Introduction to Political Theory is accompanied by an innovative website with multiple choice questions, biographies of key figures in political theory, further case studies and an innovative 'how to read' feature which helps students get to grips with difficult primary texts.
560 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2022
this was a very comprehensive introduction, I learnt so much and even more went over my head
May 27, 2011
very very useful as an introductory read for studying politics. very well written, very understandable language, clear definitions, and organized in a way that makes sense. would recommend it to anyone that wants to know more about political theory.
October 23, 2015
An Introduction to Political Theory is a textbook whose authors have attempted to orient past, current, and future events related to political issues within a general framework of classical and contemporary concepts and ideologies, and the authors largely succeed in doing so. In fact, the book is divided up into four main sections adhering to the following rubric, with the authors' definitions provided.
Classical Ideas: political concepts dealing mainly with the issue of power, "[t:]he capacity to exert pressure on a person or group so that they do something they otherwise would not have done" (p. 500). The major concepts are: 1) the state, "n institution that claims a monopoly of legitimate force for a particular territory" (p. 501); 2) freedom, "[t:]he absence of constraint, or, alternatively, the existence of choice" (p. 501); 3) equality, "[t:]reating 'like cases alike' [where:] different types of equality depend on how we define what is meant by 'like cases'" (p. 497); 4) justice, "concerned with the fair distribution of the 'benefits' and 'burdens' of cooperation" (p. 498); 5) democracy, " society in which people govern themselves" (p. 496); 6) citizenship, "an emancipatory position" where a "person [seeks to be:] able to govern their own life" (p. 495); and 7) punishment, "[t:]he infliction of hard treatment by the state as the result of breaking the law" (p. 500).
Classical Ideologies: an ideology is identified as " set of beliefs that are tied to either defending, placing demands upon or bringing about a state" (p. 498). The classical ideologies addressed are: 1) liberalism, "n ideology that takes freedom (or liberty) to be a fundamental value; it also regards individuals as naturally equal, although national equality is, for many liberals, compatible with significant material inequality" (p. 498); 2) conservatism, "n ideology which is sceptical about reason: because human beings have limited rational capacities they must rely on tradition to guide them" (p. 496); 3) socialism, "n ideology that asserts society is of equal importance to the individual, and it can therefore be regulated publicly in the interests of the individual" (p. 501); 4) anarchism, " theory that seeks to abolish the state" (p. 495); 5) nationalism, "n ideology that takes the nation to be of fundamental value" (p. 499); and 6) fascism, " movement or political and social system that rejects parliamentary democracy, bans other political parties and movements, is hostile to the ideas of the Enlightenment and liberalism, and is particularly opposed to socialism and Marxism" (p. 497).
Contemporary Ideologies: these ideologies are characterized by their creation as a result of new social movements. The contemporary ideologies covered are: 1) feminism, " theory that works for the emancipation of women" (p. 497); 2) multiculturalism, "n ideology which recognises that fact as important or values such diversity" (p. 497); 3) ecologism, "n ideology centred around 'ecology,' stressing the interdependence of all forms life" (p. 496); and 4) fundamentalism, " belief in an ideology that is dogmatic, allows no debate, and holds to the absolute truth of the doctrine espoused" (p. 497).
Contemporary Ideas: political concepts that have emerged in recent times, espcially in the twentieth century. The concepts mentioned are: 1) human rights, "[e:]ntitlements to treatment which it is claimed individuals have simply by virtue of being human" (p. 498); 2) civil disobedience, "[l:]aw-breaking on moral grounds" (p. 494); 3) political violence, "[t:]he use of violence sometimes in situations in which people have reasonable avenues of peaceful protest" (p. 500); and 4) global justice, "concerned with what obligations nation-states have to one another and obligations citizens of different nation-states have to one another" (p. 497).
The book does well in providing the framework--that is, the theory, but is a tad shy on its application, in spite of the attempts to do so with some cases. At any rate, this is a useful book.
Classical Ideas: political concepts dealing mainly with the issue of power, "[t:]he capacity to exert pressure on a person or group so that they do something they otherwise would not have done" (p. 500). The major concepts are: 1) the state, "n institution that claims a monopoly of legitimate force for a particular territory" (p. 501); 2) freedom, "[t:]he absence of constraint, or, alternatively, the existence of choice" (p. 501); 3) equality, "[t:]reating 'like cases alike' [where:] different types of equality depend on how we define what is meant by 'like cases'" (p. 497); 4) justice, "concerned with the fair distribution of the 'benefits' and 'burdens' of cooperation" (p. 498); 5) democracy, " society in which people govern themselves" (p. 496); 6) citizenship, "an emancipatory position" where a "person [seeks to be:] able to govern their own life" (p. 495); and 7) punishment, "[t:]he infliction of hard treatment by the state as the result of breaking the law" (p. 500).
Classical Ideologies: an ideology is identified as " set of beliefs that are tied to either defending, placing demands upon or bringing about a state" (p. 498). The classical ideologies addressed are: 1) liberalism, "n ideology that takes freedom (or liberty) to be a fundamental value; it also regards individuals as naturally equal, although national equality is, for many liberals, compatible with significant material inequality" (p. 498); 2) conservatism, "n ideology which is sceptical about reason: because human beings have limited rational capacities they must rely on tradition to guide them" (p. 496); 3) socialism, "n ideology that asserts society is of equal importance to the individual, and it can therefore be regulated publicly in the interests of the individual" (p. 501); 4) anarchism, " theory that seeks to abolish the state" (p. 495); 5) nationalism, "n ideology that takes the nation to be of fundamental value" (p. 499); and 6) fascism, " movement or political and social system that rejects parliamentary democracy, bans other political parties and movements, is hostile to the ideas of the Enlightenment and liberalism, and is particularly opposed to socialism and Marxism" (p. 497).
Contemporary Ideologies: these ideologies are characterized by their creation as a result of new social movements. The contemporary ideologies covered are: 1) feminism, " theory that works for the emancipation of women" (p. 497); 2) multiculturalism, "n ideology which recognises that fact as important or values such diversity" (p. 497); 3) ecologism, "n ideology centred around 'ecology,' stressing the interdependence of all forms life" (p. 496); and 4) fundamentalism, " belief in an ideology that is dogmatic, allows no debate, and holds to the absolute truth of the doctrine espoused" (p. 497).
Contemporary Ideas: political concepts that have emerged in recent times, espcially in the twentieth century. The concepts mentioned are: 1) human rights, "[e:]ntitlements to treatment which it is claimed individuals have simply by virtue of being human" (p. 498); 2) civil disobedience, "[l:]aw-breaking on moral grounds" (p. 494); 3) political violence, "[t:]he use of violence sometimes in situations in which people have reasonable avenues of peaceful protest" (p. 500); and 4) global justice, "concerned with what obligations nation-states have to one another and obligations citizens of different nation-states have to one another" (p. 497).
The book does well in providing the framework--that is, the theory, but is a tad shy on its application, in spite of the attempts to do so with some cases. At any rate, this is a useful book.
January 8, 2013
It is a part of my academic course.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews