History of Concepts as Political Science Discipline (On Publication of Russian Translation оf “Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe”)

History of Concepts as Political Science Discipline (On Publication of Russian Translation оf “Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe”)


Topychkanov A.V.,

Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Senior Researcher, Department of History and Theory of the Faculty of Political Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, topychkanov@gmail.com



DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2016.03.15

For citation:

Topychkanov A.V. History of Concepts as Political Science Discipline (On Publication of Russian Translation оf “Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe”). – Polis. Political Studies. 2016. No. 3. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2016.03.15



Abstract

History of concepts has influenced several political science disciplines: political philosophy, political theory, political history, history of social and political thought, even political analysis. Despite considerable interest of Soviet and post-Soviet humanities to the social and political vocabulary, for a long time this impact was not as noticeable in Russia as in the West. It was only in 2000‑2010s when active development of corresponding scholar approaches started and the key works of R. Koselleck, K. Skinner and other scholars were translated. After Russian readers studied achievements of the leading schools, German Historical Institute in Moscow issued a translation of selected articles from the German dictionary “Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe: Historisches Lexikon zur politisch-sozialen Sprache in Deutschland” (1972‑1997), edited by O. Brunner, W. Conze and R. Koselleck. This article reviews the translated book in the context of Russian studying of the history of concepts and the formation of this approach as a political sub-discipline. In accordance with the approach proposed by J. Farr, the methodological basis for the studying of social and political concepts should be “political theory of conceptual change” which deals with language as a political tool, and with conceptual changes as political changes. One of the characteristics of development of a scientific discipline is formation of a system of reference books. Russian scholars have already gained considerable experience in the study of social and political concepts, which allows to approach closely the issue of the preparation of reference books and systematic descriptions of Russian concepts. 

Keywords
history of concepts; political science; sub-disciplines of political science; social and political concepts; R. Koselleck; political research methods; interdisciplinarity.


Content No. 3, 2016

See also:


Oznobishchev S.K.,
Thirty Three Angles of Political Reality. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No3

Roshchin Ye.N.,
Quentin Skinner’s History of Notions. – Polis. Political Studies. 2006. No3

Almond G.,
Political Science: History of the Discipline. – Polis. Political Studies. 1997. No6

Timofeyeva L.N.,
Political communicativistics: problems of the formation. – Polis. Political Studies. 2009. No5

Inoguchi T.,
Political Science in Three Democracies, Disaffected (Japan), Third Wave (Korea) and Fledgeling (China). – Polis. Political Studies. 2004. No5


Screen version