Political Theory and the History of Ideas

The field of Political Theory and the History of Ideas examines theories and concepts with a particular focus on critical, normative, and social-theoretical approaches. At its core are ideas that play a crucial role in societal conflicts or are themselves contested within them, such as popular sovereignty, equality, and freedom.

A central concern of the field is the legitimacy of political order. It investigates the conceptual and theoretical foundations for justifying and critiquing power structures from both historical and normative perspectives. Three main areas shape the research focus: democracy, international order, and colonialism.

In the study of democracy, key questions include: Why is democracy considered the best form of governance? What are the advantages and disadvantages of different democratic models? How has democracy been justified throughout history? Under what conditions can democracy be effectively implemented?

Regarding international order, central questions include: What would an international peace organization look like? Can democracy be applied to the global sphere? What is the concept of cosmopolitan law?

In the field of colonialism, the research explores: How has political theory historically justified and criticized colonialism? How has it perceived non-European peoples, and what impact has this had on political thought? In what ways do colonial ideas continue to shape contemporary political theory?