Symposium: Fred Dallmayr and Comparative Political Theory
| DOI | 10.3366/jipt.2011.0016 |
| Published date | 01 October 2011 |
| Date | 01 October 2011 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Symposium: Fred Dallmayr and Comparative Political Theory
INTRODUCTION
This symposium was assembled from special session of the ‘Thinking With(Out)
Borders II’ International Political Theory Conference at the University of
St Andrews (July 2010), to honour the scholarly contributions of Professor Fred
R. Dallmayr to the field of comparative political theory. Fred is Packey J. Dee
Professor of philosophy and political science and a Senior Fellow in the Kroc
Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and one
of the world’s leading figures in comparative political theory. Each contribution
to this symposium reflects that leadership role in establishing comparative
political theory as a prominent feature of the contemporary international political
theory landscape.
But comparative political theory is not the only area where Fred Dallmayr
is a leader in transforming political theory, ethics, and political philosophy.
Another is making ‘border crossings’ – forays, interventions and exchanges
within and across diverse academic disciplines, intellectual movements and
cultural traditions –a more central theme in philosophical research and political
change, with a notable emphasis on the theory and practice of dialogue, in which
he has been a genuine pioneer. That theme resonates as well throughout this
symposium.
Fred was also a past president (2004–2005) of the Society for Asian and
Comparative Philosophy, a role that followed naturally from his longstanding
interest in the intellectual traditions and people of India, as manifest, for
example, in his Fulbright research at the University of Baroda and his many
publications on figures such as Mahatma Ghandi, Arundhati Roy, Daya Krishna,
A. K. Ramanujan and others. Fred also has made important contributions as a
scholar in the areas of international affairs and globalization, for which he was
a worthy recipient of the International Studies Association’s 2003 Distinguished
Scholar Award (Global Development Section). To our minds, one of the most
compelling aspects of Fred’s work is that, to borrow from one of his book titles,
it seeks to move ‘beyond dogma and despair’ despite whatever darkness may
Journal of International Political Theory, 7(2) 2011, 219–220
DOI: 10.3366/jipt.2011.0016
© Edinburgh University Press 2011
www.eupjournals.com/jipt
219
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