Approaches to Political Thought

William L. Richter is professor emeritus of political science at Kansas State University. He has served as Kansas State's associate provost for International Programs, head of the Political Science Department, South Asia Center director, and chair of the Landon Lecture Series. His publications include Combating Corruption, Encouraging Ethics, co-edited with Frances Burke, and numerous book chapters and articles on South Asian political and security issues. He has taught political thought for more than four decades, at Kansas State, University of Hawaii, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He continues to find the approaches discussed in this book exciting and challenging.

Any student who becomes interested in political theory needs to understand at some point that there are a multiplicity of ways to approach and interpret the canonical texts and the issues they address. William L. Richter here provides within the covers of one volume a very useful compendium of both primary and secondary essays to help create that awareness of hermeneutic diversity and contestation.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: The Study of Political Thought Part 2 Textual Approaches Chapter 3 Leo Strauss and Political Philosophy Chapter 4 Hannah Arendt and Remembrance Chapter 5 Eric Voegelin, Philosopher of History Part 6 Contextual Approaches Chapter 7 Sheldon Wolin and Paradigmatic Political Thought Chapter 8 Quentin Skinner, J.G.A. Pocock, and History of Thought Chapter 9 Erik Erikson and Psychobiography Part 10 Postmodern Approaches Chapter 11 Herbert Marcuse, Jurgen Habermas, and Critical Theory Chapter 12 Paul Ricoeur, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Hermeneutics Chapter 13 Michael Foucault and the Archeology of Knowledge Chapter 14 Feminist Criticism: Okin and Elshtain Chapter 15 Conclusion