About the Journal

Aims and scope

The role of politics in society is changing in a rapid pace – issues of social and ecological transformation, new wars, global distribution, decolonization, public health crises, and digitalization are on the table. Such discussions afford new approaches, dialogues, and methodologies. To say that these transformations are "political" requires further scrutiny and discussion.

The Journal of Political Sociology sees itself as an active agent in this process and wants to be a home to pioneering research about political change. The major aim of the journal is to investigate "the political" in society in all of its dimensions: We welcome contributions which deal with politics, parties, institutions, the state, social movements etc. However, we are also interested in contributions which investigate other social spheres and contexts such as arts, economy, education, ecology, science, technology, religion, and identity formation across age, gender, class and ethnicity. Moreover, we aim at fostering dialogue and discussion on the political through special issues, opinion pieces, and interviews.   

The journal addresses an audience that is broadly based in the social sciences and related fields. It also strives to reach everyone who is interested in politics and public debate. We invite contributions from a variety of disciplines such as sociology, political science, law, economics, anthropology, psychology or cultural studies. Interdisiplinary fields such as the Science and Technology Studies, Political Ecology, Labour Studies or Postcolonial Studies are very welcome, too. Articles can be based on empirical or theoretical methods.

The journal does not commit itself to a distinct theoretical tradition but is open and pluralistic. It is crucial that submissions demonstrate how they relate to the political and how they contribute to general intellectual progress in political research. We invite contributions from all countries and academic backgrounds. We are aware that different scientific cultures and ways of reasoning and writing exist. Therefore, we encourage our authors to submit unique pieces which show a high-quality and a well-conceived methodology. We also welcome submissions that go beyond the inherited conventions of anglophone journal articles.

JPS is published biannually. The journal publishes empirical studies, discussion pieces and reviews, methodological proposals and theoretical frameworks. Moreover, editorials, political comments, book symposia and discussion series foster a culture of debate both in academic research and relevant publics.