Context and Contradiction: Toward a Political Theory of Conceptual Change

Abstract

This article addresses several recurring questions regarding the study of the history of political thought. It does so through theoretical explora tion and practical application. First, conceptual history, a recent sympa thetic alternative to the "Cambridge School" of Quentin Skinner, J. G. A. Pocock, and others, is drawn on in order to outline a general theory of the actual conditions and processes through which politically significant conceptual transformation takes place. Second, by examining concrete examples-especially that of James Rivington, an early American news paper publisher and Tory leader-the study focuses on the role of contra dictions and contextual shifts to suggest how we might begin to better understand the interrelationships between an author, a wide variety of contexts, and the causal force of these contexts.