Teaching Western Political Thought Through Western Literature

Abstract

The pedagogy involved in teaching courses in Political Theory through the text and subtext of Western literature requires a dialogical approach that engages students in commentary on contemporary political experiences. Using political theory as a form of civic engagement, students were engaged in discussions of political tropes and characters that are embedded in the tradition of Western literature. Themes that emerged include; the power of political will, the place of utopia and dystopia in imagined communities, the development of ideological bias in totalitarianism, indigeneity and identity politics, the state of nature and governmentality, the emergence of gender politics, black reality and white privilege, and conspicuous consumption.