New trends in political theory

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New trends in political theory







Introduction:



Political theory defines conception regarded as political. Political theory as a part of political science deals with political ideas, values and concepts. Political theory means overwhelm analysis of what exactly construct political orders. In simple it involves both the philosophy and science of state and government. It is both normative and empirical. It systematically reflects political institutions. Political theory is like an ideology to analyse, understand and explain the phenomena of politics.



Political theory plays an important role in the development of political science. It places various alternative principles before political science to analyse political problems. It tries to offer a standard form of political situation before individual and society.



Political theory does not evolve in a matter of co incidence. It developed through a historical process. The growth of political theory can classify in few phases like old trends (a) classical phase b) modern phase c) post modern phase) and d) recent new phase.



Old trends in political theory:



Classical phase starts with ancient Greek political thinkers and continue till the beginning of 19th century. It deals with law, forms of governments, justice etc. modern political theory includes new values and ideas this phase studied the human behaviour. Post modern phase starts after 1960’s. In this phase thinkers like Rawls, Nozick, Foucault developed several political theories.



New trends in political theory:



In last few decades political theory has start a new journey with some new agendas and issues. It just not limits its scope in justice, liberty, democracy or other issues related to state and government institutions. On the contrary it has changes and it adopted a new trends. Now this new trend discuss not only the old issues confined to state and other political institution but it has also added some new areas. These are:



1. Contestation over capacity and legitimacy of state:



In last few years in political theory the question of legitimacy of state become an important one. With the liberalization of market policy the state become a minimal state with a few responsibilities in hand. In India also with the implementation LPG state become a minimal state. But recently with the failure of liberal market policy to uplift the standard of common people’s life though having a sound GDP, the government starts some welfare policies like NREGA, NRHM etc, which is against the concept of minimal state. So a debate is there that whether state should interfere in people life or not. This debate led to the question of legitimacy of state as if it has nothing to do like welfare activities then what is the need of state. It also challenged the capacity of state that to what extend it can interfere in people’s life.



Though the question of role of state in human life there in old trends in political science but it was not like that as it emerge at these days as earlier it was on the issue of communist state or a liberal state but now it is in case of all states.



2. Contestation over the values like Democracy, Liberty etc.



Another concern area of new trends in political theory is the issues of contestation over the values like democracy, liberty and question of ideology. In recent time the debate is not which form of government like dictatorship or democracy but on what kind of democracy like participatory democracy. What kind of participatory. Participation of individual’s as a citizen of the nation or participation as a member of his community, cast and ethnicity is a question now a day.



3. Issues of representation:



Issue of representation in global and transnation organization is also a new area of debate. The countries like India follow the policies adopted by WTO, and IMF. As they take loan from them they are bound to work with that type of development model. But it is important to see that in these institutions there is no representative from these countries. So the question of representation in global organization is also a new area of debate in political theory.



4. Creative and obsessive self:



Again one more area of debate in new trends of political theory is the rise of social movements and its ironic nature. Now against the coercive character of state a number of social movements against state outbreak. But it is very strange to see that in these movements the co strugglers become the co enemies. They, instead of fighting against the coercive state now, they are fighting in-between themselves.



5. Multi culturalism:



Another trend in political science is the multiculturalism. With the development of multi cultural trends the question of homogeneous development program is challenged by various ethnic and secessionist movements. It led to a crisis in the concept of unity in diversity. This is also an area where recent political theory is debating.



6. Globalization, market fundamentalism and religious fundamentalism and clash of civilization:



Another debate in political theory now a day is the debate regarding the implementation of globalization. Many political theorists now believe that the globalization in the name of a competitive market leads to hegemony or monopoly of few multinational companies. Again they also believe that as all political parties accepts the same economic policy so they starts differentiating themselves on the grounds of religion, caste, language which led to religious fundamentalism.



7. Resource curse:



Recent development in political theory is talking about resource curse. To these thinkers the resources now become a curse to the state. There is war because of the resource. Again there is debate over who will control the resource, the central government or the local government.



8. Contestation over the issue of sovereignty:



Another issue of debate in modern political theory is the issue of sovereignty. A modern school of political thinker debates whether the nation state can talk on the sovereignty issue or can’t. They debate on can Indian government seat in peace talk with ULFA with sovereignty as a main issue or not.



9. Debate on climate responsibilities:



Climate change and global warming are few challenges related to third generation of human rights. The unprecedented unsustainable development had result in huge human rights violation across the glob. Now the nations both developing and developed are talking about control on development activities to stop this HR violation. But there is a debate also going on that who, developed or developing nation will play the role in doing so? To the East the developing nations should play the role and to the developing it is the duty of the developed. A major debate in political science is also going on regarding this issue. So it is also an uprising issue in political theory.



10. Peoples movements:



One more area of recent political theory debate is the transformation of aims and goal of new social movements. Now a day social movements are not confined in small matters like ethnicity, cast etc. but its aims are for universal development. Now the social movements are fighting for human rights, environmental rights etc. So it is also a new area in political theory.




11. Third sphere – civil society:



The debate on the definition and role of civil society in human life is also a concern of political theory in the recent trends. Civil society is recognized as the third sphere of human life. So it plays an important role in human life. But there is a debate going on that can civil society is recognized as an alternative to the state. To what extend civil society can assist human being as a political institution.




Conclusion:



So these are the emerging trends in political theory. Though some of them were also in the old phase but the nature was quite different from the recent one. These new trends in political theory has clearly indicates that political science is changing with the time and become more related to human life than earlier before. Now political theory has encompasses all concern matters of human being which have any relation with politics.