Political Theory and American Literature

The journal Political Theory has been experimenting with retrospective online “Guides” on key articles and themes over the course of the journal’s history. I worked with the editors on a “Guide” highlighting the relationship between political theory and American literature. Political theorists such as Judith Shklar, Michael Rogin, George Kateb, Jack Turner, and Lawrie Balfour invoke literary examples—especially US authors—with some regularity, and I investigate some of the productive overlaps between politics and literature. Since the piece begins with Tocqueville and America’s perennial tension between the “ideal” and the “real,” I figured I’d share a link here.

Photo Credit: Ben Emrick, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, via Unsplash.