History of political thought

For the journal, see History of Political Thought.
"History of political philosophy" redirects here. For the textbook, see History of Political Philosophy.

The history of political thought encompasses the chronology and the substantive and methodological changes of human political thought. The study of the history of political thought represents an intersection of various academic disciplines, such as philosophy, law, history and political science.[1]

Many histories of Western political thought trace its origins to ancient Greece (specifically to Athenian democracy and Ancient Greek philosophy). The political philosophy of thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are traditionally elevated as exceptionally important and influential in such works.[2][3][4][5]

Non-Western traditions and histories of political thought have, by comparison, often been underrepresented in academic research.[6] Such non-Western traditions of political thought have been identified, among others, in ancient China (specifically in the form of early Chinese philosophy),[7] and in ancient India (where the Arthashastra represents an early treatise on governance and politics).[8] Another notable non-Western school of political thought emerged in the 7th century, when the spread of Islam rapidly expanded the outreach of Islamic political philosophy.[9]

The study of the history of political thought has inspired academic journals,[10] and has been furthered by university programs.[11][12]

  1. ^ Schröder, Peter; et al. (2012). "Forum: History of Political Thought". German History. 30 (1): 75–99. doi:10.1093/gerhis/ghr126.
  2. ^ Sabine, George H.; Thorson, T. L. (1937). A History of Political Theory (3rd ed.). Thomson Learning. ISBN 9780039102838.
  3. ^ Klosko, George (2011). Klosko, George (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Political Philosophy. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199238804.003.0051.
  4. ^ McClelland, J. S. (1996). A History of Western Political Thought. Routledge. ISBN 0203980743.
  5. ^ Shefali, Jha (2018). Western Political Thought: From The Ancient Greeks to Modern Times (2nd ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN 978-93-528-6934-3.
  6. ^ Whatmore, Richard (2021). The History of Political Thought: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192595355.
  7. ^ Dunstan, Helen (2004). "Premodern Chinese Political Thought". In Gaus, Gerald F. (ed.). Handbook of Political Theory. Sage Publications. pp. 320–337. ISBN 0761967877.
  8. ^ Kulke, Hermann (1986). A History of India. Routledge. ISBN 0203751698.
  9. ^ Bowering, Gerhard; et al., eds. (2013). "Introduction". The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691134840.
  10. ^ "History of Political Thought on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  11. ^ "History of Political Thought Project". Princeton University. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  12. ^ "MA in the History of Political Thought and Intellectual History". Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 2022-09-29.