Political Science and the Problem of Social Order

Offers a new interpretation of the historical evolution of political science and its key concepts, theories and normative preoccupations, centered on the problem of social order. Covers a broad range of influential thinkers and theories throughout the history of political science, from the early twentieth century onwards.

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The problem of social order is the question of what holds complex and diverse societies together. Today, this question has become increasingly urgent in the world. Yet our ability to ask and answer the question in a helpful way is constrained by the intellectual legacy through which the question has been handed down to us. In this impressive, erudite study, Henrik Enroth describes and analyzes how the problem of social order has shaped concept formation, theory, and normative arguments in political science. The book covers a broad range of influential thinkers and theories throughout the history of political science, from the early twentieth century onwards. Social order has long been a presupposition for inquiry in political science; now we face the challenge of turning it into an object of inquiry.