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Political Theory of Empire and Imperialism

Pitts, Jennifer·2010·Annual Review of Political Science
DOI 10.1146/annurev.polisci.051508.214538
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Abstract

The past decade has seen a spate of new work on empire in political theory and the history of political thought. Much of this work has focused on the place of empire in the thought of many canonical thinkers and in the formation of modern liberalism and related arenas, such as postcolonial settler societies and the discipline of international law. Political theory's turn to empire has been belated in comparison to other fields, such as history, literature, and anthropology, which had been grappling with the histories and legacies of modern European empires since the 1970s. Despite intense attention to the question of American imperialism during the Bush administration, political theory arguably continues to fail to deal adequately with the imperial features of the current global order, including the substantial responsibility on the part of the great powers for conditions such as extreme poverty, ecological crisis, civil conflict, and tyranny around the world.

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Metadata

Authors
Pitts, J.
Affiliations
University of Chicago (US)
Corresponding author
Pitts, Jennifer
ORCID
Pitts, Jennifer
Venue
Annual Review of Political Science
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
2010-05-01
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
211-235
ISSN
  • 1094-2939 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-1577
DOI
10.1146/annurev.polisci.051508.214538
OpenAlex
W2106063398
Cited by
176
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 7
FWCI
24.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Annual Review of Political Science (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Influence
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Philosophy and Ethics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › International Relations and Foreign Policy
Keywords
empire, imperialism, political theory, social liberalism, international law, American imperialism, international order, great powers, global poverty, environmental crisis, civil conflict, tyranny

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Pitts, J. (2010). Political Theory of Empire and Imperialism. Annual Review of Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.051508.214538