WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT

Course Name: WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT

About The Course

COURSE OBJECTIVES •

• This paper is a core paper that intends to introduce students to the texts, thinkers and thought in western political tradition.

• It seeks to develop new insights among students on the relevance of political ideas in understanding the crisis, change and continuity that marks the study of contemporary politics.

COURSE OUTCOMES

• The paper remains useful for students in developing ideas on politics which is helpful in providing theoretical insights and perspectives to students if they wish to pursue research programme.

• The paper has utility for students preparing for UGC NET-JRF exam, SLET exam and other competitive exams like civil services.

Course Plan: Western Political Thought

Unit-4 Marxist Tradition and contemporary political thinkers

A.) Karl Marx: Dialectical Materialism, Alienation, Theory of State

B.) V.I. Lenin: Views on Imperialism, State and Revolution

C.) Antonio Gramsci-Hegemony

D.) Simone De Beauvoir- Patriarchy

Reading list:

Unit I:

• Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 1981

• Nelson, Brian R. Western Political Thought, Pearson Education, Delhi, 2009

• Plamenatz, John, Man and Society: A Critical Examination of some important social and Political theories from Machiavelli to Marx , Longmans, 1963

• Dryzek, John S., Bonnie Honig and Anne Philips, The Oxford Handbook of Political Theory’, Oxford University Press,2006,

• J.S. McClelland, A History of Western Political Thought , Routledge, 1996

• George, H. Sabine, A History of Political Theory, Oxford and I.B.H. Publishing, New Delhi, 1973 (English & Hindi)

Unit II:

• Nelson, Brian R, Western Political Thought, Pearson Education, Delhi,2009

• George, H. Sabine, A History of Political Theory, Oxford and I.B.H. Publishing, New Delhi, 1973 (English & Hindi)

• Shefali Jha, Western Political Thought: From Plato to Marx, Pearson, 2010 • J.S. McClelland, A History of Western Political Thought, Routledge, 1996

• Morrow, John, History of Western Political Thought: A Thematic Introduction, Palgrave, 2005

• Plamenatz, John, Man and Society: A Critical Examination of some important social and Political theories from Machiavelli to Marx, Longmans, 1963

Unit: III

• George, H. Sabine, A History of Political Theory, Oxford and I.B.H. Publishing, New Delhi, 1973 (English & Hindi)

• J.S. McClelland, A History of Western Political Thought, Routledge, 1996

• Nelson, Brian R. (2009) Western Political Thought, Pearson Education, Delhi

• Morrow, John, 2005, History of Western Political Thought: A Thematic Introduction, Palgrave

• Plamenatz, John, Man and Society: A Critical Examination of some important social and Political theories from Machiavelli to Marx, Longmans, 1963

• Card, Claudia, The Cambridge Companion to Simone De Beauvoir, Cambridge University Press, 2003

Unit: IV

• C.L. Wayper, Political Thought, New Delhi, 1989 (Revised Edition) (English & Hindi).

• Bottomore, Tom (edited) (1988) Interpretations of Marx, Basic Blackwell

• Marx and Engels Selected works, “Theses on Feuerbach”, Preface to “A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy”

• Marx, Karl (1978) A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, Progress Publishers, Moscow.

• Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels (1973) Manifesto of the Communist Party, Progress Publishers, Moscow

• Nelson, Brian R. (2009) Western Political Thought, Pearson Education, Delhi

• Fitzgerald, Ross Ed. (1980) Comparing Political Thinkers, Pergamon Press

• Singer, Peter, Marx: A very Short Introduction, OUP, 2000 • Morrow, John, 2005, History of Western Political Thought: A Thematic Introduction, Palgrave

• Lenin, V.I., State and Revolution, Penguin, UK,2009 • Lenin, V I (2000) Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, Left Word, New Delhi • On Imperialist Globalization: Two Speeches 1999 by Fidel Castro, Leftword Books

• Patnaik, Prabhat (1995) Whatever Happened o Imperialism and Other Essays, Tulika, New Delhi

• Bauer, Nancy, Simone De Beauvoir: Philosophy and Feminism, Columbia University Press, New York, 2010

• Tidd, Ursula, Simone De Beauvoir, Routledge Critical thinkers series, Routledge, 200