Description
Book SynopsisCosmopolitan Political Thought is a normative argument for applying the idea of cosmopolitanism to the discipline of political theory itself. It is inspired by two recent turns in political thought: the emergence of a normative interest in the idea of cosmopolitanism and a new paradigmatic framework called comparative political theory. The first phenomenon is driven by a recovery of ancient Stoic and Greek claims about the kosmou polites or world citizen. The second, related, turn comes from a recognition of the relationship between traditional political theory and non-Western political ideas. Godrej argues that both of these movements suffer from important epistomological gaps. In order to be genuinely cosmopolitian, she states, political theory must not only be more conscious of the thinkers, texts, and concepts that it studies, but it must also approach these texts and concepts through the eyes of those who live and experience them. The result will be a serious challenge to our ac
Trade ReviewFor those who hope to move political theory beyond Eurocentrism, Cosmopolitan Political Thought is an excellent place to start. * Lee Trepanier, Samford University, VoegelinView *
Critiques of Eurocentrism have been around in academia for several decades but their impact on political theory has been painfully slow. Worse, an alternative that breaks the stranglehold of hegemonic categories and engages with multiple traditions of thought has barely germinated. Lucid, wide-ranging and well-informed, Farah Godrej's book is a significant contribution to an important and emerging field of enquiry that is destined to transform existing power relations in political theory. * Rajeev Bhargava, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India *
It seems obvious that political theorizing in a globalized context should not be limited to the preoccupations and normative commitments of Western liberal societies. But what might a more cosmopolitan mode of political theorizing look like? Farah Godrej's fascinating new book shows that it involves a journey of radical self-dislocation and self-relocation that is both difficult and necessary. * Daniel A. Bell, Tsinghua University and Jiaotong University *
There has been a knowledge-explosion in the fields of the political philosophies of India, China and Islam. This has been accompanied by the emergence of a new generation of scholars well versed in the very same fields. These two phenomena pose a problem to the traditional way of teaching of Western political philosophy. Farah Godrej, a leader of the new generation of scholars, makes a bold and timely proposal for the reform of the field of political philosophy. Well documented and well argued, this book is a welcome addition to the literature on how political philosophy should be studied in the twenty-first century. * Anthony Parel, Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary *
Ambitious in its intellectual breadth and depth, and infused with a keen grasp of the politics of our time and what they demand from engaged intellectuals who hope to make a difference in the world, this is a first-rate contribution and a passionate plea for cosmopolitanism.Students and scholars of comparative political theory will find much food for thought in this provocative, rich, and thoughtful volume. * Perspectives on Politics *
By traveling with philosophical ideas and reworking them through encounters with cultural difference, Godrej enriches our thinking about the relationship between political theory and alterity. * Theory & Event *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Chapter One: ; Cosmopolitanism, Comparative Political Theory and Civilizational Alterity ; Chapter Two: ; Canons, Traditions and Cosmopolitanism: Choosing the <"Units>" of Analysis ; Chapter Three: ; Interpreting the Other: the Hermeneutics of Comparative Political Thought ; Chapter Four: ; <"Other>" Texts, Our Contexts: Western Problems and Non-Western Solutions ; Chapter Five: ; Destabilizing Eurocentrism and Reframing Political Inquiry ; Chapter Six: ; Toward a PostEurocentric Paradigm in a Cosmopolitan Political Thought ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
