Bøker i Routledge Innovations in Political Theory-serien

Francis Fukuyama claims that liberal democracy is the end of history. This book provides a theoretical re-examination of this claim through postmodernist ideas.The book argues that postmodern ideas provide a valuable critique to Fukuyama's thesis, and poses the questions: can we talk about a universal and teleological history; a universal human nature; or an autonomous individual? It addresses whether postmodern theories - concerning the movement of time, what it means to be human, and what it means to be an individual/subject - can be accommodated within a theory of a history that ends in liberal democracy.The author argues that incorporating elements of postmodern thought into Fukuyama's theory makes it possible to produce a stronger and more compelling account of the theory that liberal democracy is the end of history. The result of this is to underpin Fukuyama's theory with a more complex understanding of the movement of time, the human and the individual, and to show that postmodern concepts can, paradoxically, be used to strengthen Fukuyama's theory that the end of history is liberal democracy. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of political theory, postmodernism and the work of Francis Fukuyama.

Kwon conceptualizes a unique mode of political representation in East Asian society, which derives its moral foundation from Confucian virtue politics. Kwon analyses how "affective accountability" forms the basis for political representation in these societies and how this can be reconciled with liberal democracy.

Autonomy and Identity are key concepts in both political and feminist thought and have played central roles in both fields. Although there has been much academic work on both concepts there has arguably been little that has addressed the connections between autonomy and identity. Autonomy and Identity seeks to draw innovative links between these concepts in order to develop a new understanding which sees autonomy as a process by which we change and develop our identity. It draws on thinkers from the canon of political thought such as G.W.F. Hegel, Mary Wollstonecraft, J.S. Mill and Simone de Beauvoir and features illustrative examples drawn from a wide range of contemporary issues including pornography, domestic violence and women's citizenship. Hague argues that identity is best understood as changing, multiple, and something we need to take control of ourselves. In order to support this version of identity there needs to be a concept of autonomy which emphasises self-direction to control our identity. Providing valuable insight into the complexities of thinking about linking autonomy to identity, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, gender studies, contemporary political thought and the history of political thought.

The growing interest in human rights has recently brought the question of their philosophical foundation to the foreground. Theorists of human rights often assume that their ideal can be traced to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and his view of humans as ends in themselves. Yet, few have attempted to explore exactly how human rights should be understood in a Kantian framework. The scholars in this book have gathered to fill this gap.

This book is a major reassessment of Michael Weinstein''s political philosophy. It situates his singular contribution, designated as "critical vitalism," in the context of both canonical American and contemporary continental theory. Weinstein is presented as a philosopher of life and as an American Nietzsche. Yet the contributors also persuasively argue for this form of thinking as a prescient prophecy addressing contemporary society''s concern over the management of life as well as the technological changes that both threaten and sustain intimacy. This is the first full scale study of Weinstein''s work which reveals surprising aspects of a philosophic journey that has encompassed most of the major American (pragmatic or vitalist) or Continental (phenomenological or existential) traditions. Weinstein is read as a comparative political theorist, a precursor to post-structuralism, and as a post-colonial border theorist. A different aspect of his oeuvre is highlighted in each of the book''s three sections. The opening essays comprising the "Action" diptych contrasts meditative versus extrapolative approaches; "Contemplation" stages a series of encounters between Weinstein and his philosophic interlocutors; "Vitalism" presents Weinstein as a teacher, media analyst, musician, and performance artist. The book contains an epilogue written by Weinstein in response to the contributors.

Presenting the first critical analysis of Carl Schmitt's The Nomos of the Earth and how it relates to the epochal changes in the international system that arose from the collapse of the 'Westphalian' international order.

This new book delivers the first English translation of 'State and Nation' and brings together a collection of distinguished and leading political scientists to provide a detailed and critical assessment of Renner's theory of national-cultural autonomy.

In Justice, Care, and Value Thomas Randall argues for the radical potential of care ethics as a distinct and preferable theory of distributive justice.Advancing the feminist literature, this book defends a vision of society that can best enable caring relations to flourish. Specifically, Randall proposes a values-driven theory of care ethics that derives normative criteria for evaluating the moral worth of caring relations and their surrounding institutions via a classification of the values of care. They argue that such a theory gives us unique and meaningful solutions to contemporary questions of distributive justice across personal, political, global, and intergenerational domains. In doing so, the book makes significant strides to engage care ethics with the broader moral and political philosophy literature.Topical and interdisciplinary, Randall demonstrates that care ethics has the conceptual resources to ground distributive theories of socialism, territorial and natural resource rights, obligations to future generations, and historic redress. The book will be of great interest to academics, researchers, and students of feminist philosophy, but also of liberalism, political economy, and theories of global and intergenerational justice.