Contemporary Political Theory

Intended as a text for the postgraduate students of political science, this well-researched book attempts to track the evolution of political ideas in the recent past and their background. It brings out the contemporary epistemological and methodological debates within the discipline and social sciences as a whole, and incorporates the latest developments in the field.

Divided into forty chapters under eleven parts, the book deals with the core concepts and debates in political theory, and focuses on the state-society interactions. It tries to explain how the states, societies and cultures have responded to the emerging challenges thrown up by the social, economic and political factors, and the direction of the response. It also dwells on the impact of globalisation on current trends. Finally, the book analyses the ideas of modern Indian thinkers such as V.D. Savarkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ram Manohar Lohia, B.R. Ambedkar and Jayaprakash Narayan.

Besides the postgraduate students of political science, the book would also be useful to the aspirants of civil services examinations and the initiated readers.

Foreword Preface

Acknowledgements

Part I: Approaching Political Theory

1. Positivism

2. Structuralism

3. Postmodernism

4. Deconstructionism

Part II: State and Rise in

Human Dignity

5. Debates on Justice

6. Debates on Equality

7. Debates on Liberty

8. Debates on Rights

Part III: Issues of Legitimacy

9. Political Power

10. Political Authority

11. Political Legitimacy

12. Political Obligation

Part IV: Porous Borders and

Retreating State

13. Sovereignty in the Age of Globalisation

14. Citizenship

15. Human Rights in the Age of Globalisation

Part V: IndividualCommunity

State: Evolving Relations

16. Political Participation

17. Political Toleration

18. Libertarianism

19. Communitarianism

Part VI: StateSociety Interface

20. Good Governance

21. Civil Society

22. Social Capital

Part VII: State Economy Dynamics and Beyond

23. Neo-liberalism

24. Market Socialism

25. Dependency Theories

26. Post-Marxism

Part VIII: Assertion of Identity

27. Multiculturalism

28. Identity Politics

29. Feminism and Political Theory

Part IX: Peoples Demand

State Response

30. Debates on Democratic Political Community

31. New Social Movements

32. Green Political Theory

Part X: Political Alienation to Revolution

33. Political Alienation

34. Resistance

35. Revolution

Part XI: Indian Political Thought and Theory

36. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

37. Jawaharlal Nehru

38. Ram Manohar Lohia

39. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

40. Jayaprakash Narayan

Bibliography Index