The Study of Politics: A Short Survey of Core Approaches

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction to the Study of Politics
The Origins of the Discipline
The Language of Politics: Power, Influence, Legitimacy, and Authority
Folk Theories of Political Agency
Sources of Political Conduct
Five Modes of Inquiry
The Normative in Political Studies
A Taxonomy of Core Approaches
Conclusion
Further Reading

2. Three Traditional Approaches
Regime Theory
Analytical Political Studies
Political Philosophy
Conclusion
Further Reading

3. The Science of Political Studies
Institutionalism
Group Theory
Power Theory
Structural Functionalism
Systems Theory
Rational Choice Theory
Behaviouralism
Sociobiology
Conclusion
Further Reading

4. Interpretive Political Studies
Textual Analysis
(Political) Cultural Studies
Linguistic Structuralism
Interpretive Psychoanalysis
Conclusion
Further Reading

5. Critical Political Studies
Structuralist Marxism
Critical Psychoanalysis: The Frankfurt School and Existentialist Psychology
Feminist Analysis
Critical Race Theory
Postmodernism
Critical Ecology
Conclusion
Further Reading

6. A Short Conclusion
Intellectual Pluralism
Hybrid Approaches
Multidisciplinarity and Interdisciplinarity
Narrowing the Discipline
Other Lines of Response
A Little More Pedagogy

Index