Perestroika Movement (political science)
Encyclopedia
The Perestroika Movement in political science
is a faction that works towards methodological pluralism and to heighten relevance of political science to people outside the discipline. The movement is against what it sees as dominance for quantitative and mathematical methodology in political science. Such dominance breeds academic isolation and poor quality in scholarship, according to the movement (Schram and Caterino 2006).
The Perestroika Movement began in 2000 with an anonymous e-mail message sent by one “Mr. Perestroika
” to the editors of the American Political Science Review
calling for "a dismantling of the Orwellian system that we have in APSA
." The message went to seventeen recipients who quickly forwarded it to others, and within weeks the Perestroika Movement became a force calling for change in the American political science community (Monroe 2005).
In the years that followed, the Perestroika Movement established itself with its own literature, conferences, websites, and blogs. Main books about the movement are Monroe
(2005) and Schram and Caterino (2006). Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg
's book Making Social Science Matter (2001) has been called a manifesto for the Perestroika Movement.
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
is a faction that works towards methodological pluralism and to heighten relevance of political science to people outside the discipline. The movement is against what it sees as dominance for quantitative and mathematical methodology in political science. Such dominance breeds academic isolation and poor quality in scholarship, according to the movement (Schram and Caterino 2006).
The Perestroika Movement began in 2000 with an anonymous e-mail message sent by one “Mr. Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
” to the editors of the American Political Science Review
American Political Science Review
The American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
calling for "a dismantling of the Orwellian system that we have in APSA
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
." The message went to seventeen recipients who quickly forwarded it to others, and within weeks the Perestroika Movement became a force calling for change in the American political science community (Monroe 2005).
In the years that followed, the Perestroika Movement established itself with its own literature, conferences, websites, and blogs. Main books about the movement are Monroe
Kristen Monroe
Kristen Monroe is an American political scientist, specializing in political psychology and the scientific study of ethics. Her award winning work on altruism is widely recognized as a classic analysis of human altruism and its political significance. She was also a significant figure in the...
(2005) and Schram and Caterino (2006). Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg
Bent Flyvbjerg
Bent Flyvbjerg is the first Chair and BT Professor of Major Programme Management at Oxford University's Saïd Business School and is Founding Director of the University's BT Centre for Major Programme Management. He was previously Professor of Planning at Aalborg University, Denmark and Chair of...
's book Making Social Science Matter (2001) has been called a manifesto for the Perestroika Movement.
Sources and further reading
- Flyvbjerg, Bent, Making Social Science Matter: Why Social Inquiry Fails and How It Can Succeed Again (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001).
- Monroe, Kristen Renwick, ed., Perestroika!: The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005).
- Schram, Sanford F., and Brian Caterino, eds., Making Political Science Matter: Debating Knowledge, Research, and Method (New York: New York University Press, 2006).