Where to when going local? Notes on the research agenda for “local political theory”

In a recent programmatic contribution to this journal, Marta Wojciechowska and James Hickson have urged (normative) political theorists to systematically reflect on the local dimension of politics. Assuming that local phenomena are not simply a miniature of larger entities or forces, they emphasize the significance of examining the local to develop more nuanced accounts of the intricacies of the political world. This commentary addresses this important intervention and scrutinizes whether the concept of “the local” serves as an adequate starting point for this research agenda. It is argued that “the local” carries conceptual burdens that bear the risk of undermining the very objectives of Wojciechowska's and Hickson's proposal. The article will thus propose a spatio-theoretical alternative which allows to rearrange and advance the localization of political theory.