210064 SE BAK9: Political Theories and Research on Theories (2020S)

Conflict has a bad reputation. The majority of political theories focuses on consensus and order and in the public debate political disagreement is often framed as a symptom of inefficiency and the lack of a clear political vision. However, in the history of political ideas there are also alternative, more positive approaches to conflict. The discord between the popoli and the grandi is for Machiavelli the precondition for republican freedom, for example, and the modern concept of civil disobedience is often characterized as a constructive and not destructive form of protest. This seminar will engage with those authors that recognize a specific productivity in disagreement, dissent and antagonism and discuss texts by Niccolò Machiavelli, Niccolò Machiavelli, Karl Marx, Frantz Fanon, Hannah Arendt, Chantal Mouffe among others.

This is a seminar in political theory and the history of ideas. It is designed for students, who are willing and motivated to engage with complex historical and theoretical texts (ca. 150 pages per week).

By the end of this seminar, students should be able to
1) discuss and explain various theoretical concepts;
2) articulate and deploy complex political theories and relate them to contemporary academic and public debates;
3) critically assess the adequacy of core political concepts in light of contemporary and historical events;
4) defend and justify written and spoken arguments with strong textual evidence.