Political science encounters 'race' and 'ethnicity'

This article identifies the way in which 'race' and 'ethnicity' have come to be used as tools of analysis within the discipline of political science, with particular regard to explaining patterns of political behaviour, the breakup of states, and the preconditions for democracy. It is argued that much of this work, in the final analysis, falls short of establishing a coherent position as to the sociological salience of 'race' and 'ethnicity'. It is advanced that the reason for this stems from political science's specific commitment to the scientific method which has dictated that 'race' and 'ethnicity' be taken as 'things' in themselves that we encounter, rather than prompting the need to see the very facts of 'race' and 'ethnicity' as problematic in themselves. The way forward rests in rethinking the established relationship between politics and science.