Takamichi Sakurai

This book depicts Erich Fromm as a political theorist despite infrequent reference to him in the field of political theory. It shows Fromm’s political theory extends far beyond the disciplinary boundaries of political theory and how his distinctive psychoanalytic perspective is key to understanding the essence of fascist politics and tackling complex socio-political problems such as authoritarianism and alienation. The volume argues that Fromm’s socio-psychoanalytic analysis with his unique characterological approach to political theory is essential in deciphering and dealing with twenty-first century fascism, postfascism. Accessible and comprehensive, the volume will be of great interest to students, scholars and researchers of political theory, especially fascism and authoritarianism.

This book considers the emerging subdiscipline of Comparative Political Theory (CPT) and its place within Political Theory. CPT is nascent but rapidly expanding field of academic inquiry and presents methodological and theoretical challenges to the wider discipline. Sakurai argues that CPT accentuates the very problems in Political Theory it was created to resolve because it operates with the same center-periphery dichotomy that it was meant to eradicate. Specifically, Sakurai questions the hegemony of Western political thought in non-Western societies and universities, as well as the skewing of the discipline toward political philosophy. Ultimately, the volume presents a novel definition of CPT and demonstrates how it can contribute to the cross-cultural investigation of political phenomena, helping us respond to political developments in a global context.