Margaret Canovan
Encyclopedia
Margaret Canovan is an English political theorist
.
Born in Carlisle in 1939, Canovan studied history
at Girton College, Cambridge
, where she subsequently completed a PhD on Joseph Priestley
. She became a professor in the Politics Department at Lancaster University
not long after its inception, later moving to Keele University
where she remained until her retirement in 2002.
Margaret Canovan has published a number of books but is perhaps best known for her work on Hannah Arendt
, particularly after accessing Arendt's unpublished papers in the late 1980s. Her book Hannah Arendt: A Reinterpretation of Her Political Thought (1992) was described by Gordon Tolle in The Review of Politics as "an excellent and comprehensive explanation of how Arendt's political theory emerges out of her early struggle to understand the new phenomenon of totalitarianism".
Her later work on nationalism
was also received with international acclaim. Steven Engel noted that "Canovan's book distinguishes itself in that its aim is 'to argue that questions of nationhood are not an optional extra for political theory, but should actually be at the heart of the discipline' ".
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
.
Born in Carlisle in 1939, Canovan studied history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
, where she subsequently completed a PhD on Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
. She became a professor in the Politics Department at Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
not long after its inception, later moving to Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
where she remained until her retirement in 2002.
Margaret Canovan has published a number of books but is perhaps best known for her work on Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
, particularly after accessing Arendt's unpublished papers in the late 1980s. Her book Hannah Arendt: A Reinterpretation of Her Political Thought (1992) was described by Gordon Tolle in The Review of Politics as "an excellent and comprehensive explanation of how Arendt's political theory emerges out of her early struggle to understand the new phenomenon of totalitarianism".
Her later work on nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
was also received with international acclaim. Steven Engel noted that "Canovan's book distinguishes itself in that its aim is 'to argue that questions of nationhood are not an optional extra for political theory, but should actually be at the heart of the discipline' ".
Selected works
Canovan's books include:- The Political Thought of Hannah Arendt (1974)
- G. K. ChestertonG. K. ChestertonGilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
(1978) - PopulismPopulismPopulism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
(1981) - Hannah Arendt: A Reinterpretation of Her Political Thought (1992)
- Nationhood and Political Theory (1996)
- The People (2005)