James Hickson

This methodological article explores “the local” as a distinct context for political theorizing, and considers its role in normative labor. In doing so, we examine how political theorists can “go local”; arguing that engagement with the local dimension of politics can play at least three distinct roles in political theorizing. First, the local can represent a distinct object of analysis, where local politics are the starting point for the construction and revision of normative theories. Second, the local can represent a distinct object of normative concern, where political theorists consider whether local actors, institutions, experiences, relationships, and ways of life carry specific normative values or normative obligations. Finally, the local can represent a distinct object of application, where political theorists apply normative insights to help interpret, and inform, real-world local politics. By drawing upon normative literature interested in local questions we demonstrate how such interest in the local dimension supports a more nuanced and comprehensive theoretical understanding of our complex and multidimensional political world.