Political Theory in Search of the Political (Liverpool University Press - Studies in European Regional Cultures)

S. N. Eisenstadt returns here to the roots of political theory and explores the very definition of "political." How do we define certain movements as legitimate while we dismiss others, and what distinguishes a political action from a possible terrorist threat? Eisenstadt argues that the political is defined by the very struggle to name it, that our contest over the definition of political action ensures our ability to express it. He explores the development of new social movements, including religious fundamentalism, the emergence of ethnic conflicts, and the demise of certain authoritarian regimes, all in order to fully analyze the problem of the political.