Publisher Description

Comparative political theory is at best an embryonic and marginalized endeavor. As practiced in most Western universities, the study of political theory generally involves a rehearsal of the canon of Western political thought from Plato to Marx. Only rarely are practitioners of political thought willing (and professionally encouraged) to transgress the canon and thereby the cultural boundaries of North America and Europe in the direction of genuine comparative investigation. Border Crossings presents an effort to remedy this situation, fully launching a new era in political theory. Thirteen scholars from around the world examine the various political traditions of West, South, and East Asia and engage in a reflective cross-cultural discussion that belies the assumptions of an Asian "essence" and of an unbridgeable gulf between West and non-West. The denial of essential differences does not, however, amount to an endorsement of essential sameness. As viewed and as practiced by contributors to this ground-breaking volume, comparative political theorizing must steer a course between uniformity and radical separation—this is the path of "border crossings."

Author Biography

Fred Dallmayr is Packey Dee Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Government and International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction: Toward a Comparative Political Theory Chapter 2 Mapping Modernities, "Islamic" and "Western" Chapter 3 Eastern Veiling, Western Freedom? Chapter 4 Islamic Constitutionalism and the Concept of Democracy Chapter 5 Rewriting Contemporary Muslim Politics: A Twentieth-Century Periodization Chapter 6 Symbolic and Utilitarian Value of a Tradition: Martyrdom in the Iranian Political Culture Chapter 7 Radical Islam and Nonviolence: A Case Study of Religious Empowerment and Constraint Chapter 8 Indian Secularism and Its Critics: Some Reflections Chapter 9 Confucianism and Communitarianism in a Liberal Democratic World Chapter 10 Confucianism with a Liberal Face: Democratic Politics in Postcolonial Taiwan Chapter 11 Beyond "East and West": Nishida's Universalism and Postcolonial Critique Chapter 12 Taoist Politics: An Other Way? Chapter 13 Postmodernity, Eurocentrism, and the Future of Political Philosophy

Review

Dallmayr has done an excellent job of bringing together Western and non-Western scholars who have dared to cross borders and discuss the major questions of political philosophy from a comparative perspective... Dallmayr should be applauded for mapping new terrain and embarking on a most valuable exercise at the start of a new millenium. * Studies In Contemporary Islam *

Long Description

Comparative political theory is at best an embryonic and marginalized endeavor. As practiced in most Western universities, the study of political theory generally involves a rehearsal of the canon of Western political thought from Plato to Marx. Only rarely are practitioners of political thought willing (and professionally encouraged) to transgress the canon and thereby the cultural boundaries of North America and Europe in the direction of genuine comparative investigation. Border Crossings presents an effort to remedy this situation, fully launching a new era in political theory. Thirteen scholars from around the world examine the various political traditions of West, South, and East Asia and engage in a reflective cross-cultural discussion that belies the assumptions of an Asian "essence" and of an unbridgeable gulf between West and non-West. The denial of essential differences does not, however, amount to an endorsement of essential sameness. As viewed and as practiced by contributors to this ground-breaking volume, comparative political theorizing must steer a course between uniformity and radical separation--this is the path of "border crossings."

Review Quote

Dallmayr has done an excellent job of bringing together Western and non-Western scholars who have dared to cross borders and discuss the major questions of political philosophy from a comparative perspective... Dallmayr should be applauded for mapping new terrain and embarking on a most valuable exercise at the start of a new millenium.

Details