New Perspectives on Comparative Political Theory

“In this sophisticated, lucid and eminently sane book, Takamichi Sakurai makes a compelling case for engaging in comparative political theory as a rising branch of studying politics. He illuminatingly invigorates that field as a comprehensive project of interpreting political thinking’s actual and diverse patterns, powerfully counterbalancing those scholars who associate comparative political theory solely with giving a voice to non-Western political thinking, or those who focus exclusively on its normative potential. This pioneering volume deserves to be read by political and social researchers across the board.” --Michael Freeden, University of Oxford   “This is the first volume that gives us a genealogy of comparative political theory to this point, a fair assessment of its various orientations and methods, and a sharp analysis of some of the key case studies of controversies and contributions of comparative political theory. Sakurai offers his own direction for how we should now study this important field of political theory. This will be required reading for students and scholars of comparative and cosmopolitan political thought.” --Andrew March, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst   “In this provocative book, Takamichi Sakurai critically examines the current state of Comparative Political Theory (CPT) and argues for a new model of CPT that is more interpretive (than normative) and dialogical (than cosmopolitan). This book encourages us to think deeply about how to engage with different ideas, values, and practices across borders and cultures without being haunted by the West-Non-West dichotomy.” <--Sungmoon Kim, Chair Professor of Political Philosophy, City University of Hong Kong   In New Perspectives on Comparative Political Theory, Takamichi Sakurai argues that Comparative Political Theory (CPT) accentuates the very problems in Political Theory it was created to resolve because it operates with the same center-periphery dichotomy that it was meant to eradicate. Specifically, Sakurai questions the hegemony of Western political thought in non-Western societies and universities, as well as the skewing of the discipline toward political philosophy. Ultimately, the volume presents a novel definition of CPT and demonstrates how it can contribute to the cross-cultural investigation of political phenomena, helping us respond to political developments in a global context.   Takamichi Sakurai is Senior Researcher at the Keio Research Institute, Keio University SFC, Japan. He is the founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Comparative Political Theory.