Perestroika!: The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science - Softcover

"An indispensable guide to Perestroika-the jumbled, raucous, liberating revolution in political science. This is the best summary of the discipline-its hopes and aspirations, rebels and counterrevolutionaries-that I've read in a very long time."-James Morone, author of Hellfire Nation and The Democratic Wish -- James Morone "Don't practice political science without having digested Perestroika! Between these two covers, Kristen Monroe has assembled a comprehensive and astute account of the insurgency in the discipline and out, for the foreseeable future."-James C. Scott, Sterling Professor of Political Science and Anthropology, Yale University -- James C. Scott "Every now and then American political science has an uprising. Questions are asked, emperors are declothed, bastions are stormed or at least infiltrated. Here is a smart, thought-provoking, and comprehensive guide to the 'Perestroika' insurgency of recent years."-David R. Mayhew, Sterling Professor of Political Science, Yale University -- David R. Mayhew

This superb volume describes the events and ramifications of a revolt within the political science discipline that began in 2000 with a disgruntled e-mail message signed by one "Mr. Perestroika." The message went to seventeen recipients who quickly forwarded it to others, and soon the Perestroika revolt became a major movement calling for change in the American political science community.What is the Perestroika movement? Why did it occur? What has it accomplished? What remains to be done? Most important, what does it tell us about the nature of political science, about methodological pluralism and diversity, about the process of publishing scholarly work, and about graduate education in the field? The contributors to the book--thoughtful political scientists who offer a variety of perspectives--set the Perestroika movement in historical and comparative contexts. They address many topics related to heart of the debate--a desire for tolerance of methodological diversity--and assess the changes that have come in the wake of Perestroika. For political scientists and their graduate students, and for those interested in the history or sociology of social sciences, this volume is essential reading.