Comparative Democratic Theory

in Democratic Theory
Author: Alexander Weiss 1
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  • 1 Hamburg University, Germany 1weiss@web.de
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/dt.2020.070103
Keywords:
Comparative Political Theory; democratic theory; experience; global history; non-Western political thought
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Abstract

This article sketches a theoretical framework and research agenda for what is labeled as “Comparative Democratic Theory.” It is introduced as an approach to democratic theory which is informed by conceptual and methodological debates from “Comparative Political Theory” (CPT) as well as from insights from a global history of democratic thought. The inclusion of CPT perspectives into democratic theory is motivated by what is diagnosed as a conceptual blindness in Western democratic theory. When following this approach, however, the two extremes of unjustified universalism and normatively problematic relativism both must be avoided. To do so, a mode of sound abstraction is proposed, using the term “constellation,” and a discussion of aims and benefits of Comparative Democratic Theory is presented.

Contributor Notes

Alexander Weiss is a private lecturer and researcher in political theory at Hamburg University. E-mail: 1weiss@web.de

Democratic Theory

An Interdisciplinary Journal

Cover Democratic Theory
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
27–47
Keywords:
Comparative Political Theory; democratic theory; experience; global history; non-Western political thought
Print Publication Date:
01 Jun 2020
Online Publication Date:
01 Jun 2020
Copyright:
© Berghahn Books 2020

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