Resurrecting the pluralist universe

26Citations
Citations of this article
21Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Pluralism has seen a major revival in the recent theoretical literature. After years of thorough critique, a purge of sorts, and, finally, relative obscurity, political and social theorists have begun to resurrect pluralist themes, even if they often do not acknowledge the term. The argument here is that much within this resurrection-conscious or unconscious-owes something to an articulation of pluralism that existed before the postwar, liberal variant that is so often seen as the whole of political pluralism. Theorists such as William James and Mary Parker Follett initiated an examination of pluralist themes before being interrupted, and ignored, by the postwar generation. This essay focuses first on the contemporary resurrection of the epistemological foundation of pluralist thought, what James called "radical empiricism." It then goes on to examine two key issues, central to early pluralists, that have been revived and expanded upon by recent theorists: the tension in reconciling pluralist difference with political unity, and the difficulties in designing ethics and practices of communication across the diversity endemic to pluralism.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Schlosberg, D. (1998). Resurrecting the pluralist universe. Political Research Quarterly, 51(3), 583–615. https://doi.org/10.1177/106591299805100302

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free