The subfield of comparative political theory moves beyond the traditional focus on western political thought found within much of North American and European political theory. Instead, the subfield orients scholarship toward historical and contemporary theoretical currents of non-western political thought and political activism and encourages comparisons between the Western canon and non-Western traditions of thought. In addition to studying the rich heritage of non-western political thought and deepening cross-cultural theoretical understanding, the subfield of comparative political theory provides an opportunity to examine assumptions within western theoretical traditions by situating them in particular historical and geopolitical contexts.

Comparative Political Thought Events

If you are hosting an event on comparative political thought, please contact brooke.ackerly@vanderbilt.edu for cross-listing.

Comparative Political Thought Listserv

The comparative political theory (CPT) listserv is a general mailing list for scholars and students interested in comparative and/or non-western political theory. It is used for general announcements, calls for papers, substantive discussions, and other topics of interest, and is open to anyone.

To subscribe to the list, send an email to: majordomo@listlink.berkeley.edu. Leave the subject heading blank; in the body of the message, type [without quotes]: “subscribe comparativept”. This will subscribe the email address from which you send the message. If you wish to subscribe another email address, in the body of the message type [without quotes]: “subscribe comparativept emailaddress@emailaddress”.

To send emails to the entire list, send emails to:
comparativept@lists.berkeley.edu.

If you have any difficulties subscribing or unsubscribing yourself to the list, or if you have general questions, please email Alison Kaufman at: akaufman@berkeley.edu

For a listing of CPT courses (including institutions and people), please click here.