Introduction to Contemporary Political Theory

This text provides an up to date account of how things currently stand inpolitical philosophy and will provide an excellent introduction for studentsfrom any ba... » 

This text provides an up to date account of how things currently stand inpolitical philosophy and will provide an excellent introduction for studentsfrom any background. It gives a lucid and careful account of the centralcontroversies and sites of disagreement in political theory over the lastthirty years and rather than sacrifice theoretical sophistication and nuancefor the sake of clarity and accessibility it admirably achieves both Catriona McKinnon University of YorkThis comprehensive textbook provides a complete and accessible introduction tothe main theorists and issues in contemporary political theory today.The text is organized into two major parts. The first Contemporary LiberalTheory outlines four distinct liberal theories of justice to introduce thework of Rawls Nozick Gauthier and Dworkin. The second AlternativeTraditions introduces the theorists and themes associated with four key areasof contemporary debate communitarianism multiculturalism deliberativedemocracy and feminism.By giving students questions for consideration and using applied examplesthroughout the text illustrates the practical relevance of contemporarytheoretical debates to everyday issues in policy and politics.The result is an essential overview of all the main traditions issues andpositions in political theory today that will serve as an invaluable resourcefor all students of contemporary political theory political ideas andpolitical philosophy.Colin Farrelly is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science atthe University of Waterloo Canada. Introduction to Contemporary PoliticalTheory will complement Contemporary Political Theory A Reader edited by ColinFarrelly and also published by SAGE Publications. «