Political science is a heterogeneous and diverse academic discipline in epistemological terms – methodologically, theoretically, and otherwise. Its parameters are fluid. It draws extensively from other disciplinary traditions and their theoretical and methodological approaches. And Canadian political science is particularly characterized by an astonishing diversity of approaches.

 

While the approaches can at times be in tension with one another, this diversity is generally recognized and embraced as a strength of the discipline. Political science’s commitment to diverse approaches, methodologies, and questions allows for openness, renewal, and interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary conversations. However, it can also lead to isolation and silos of its own, if the different approaches are not sufficiently engaged in conversation with each other. 

 

The 2021 Canadian Political Science Association conference will explore the characteristics of political science as a methodologically and theoretically diverse discipline and the opportunities and limitations of this heterogeneity. Are there boundaries? Are there gatekeepers? A particular question is the link between this epistemological diversity and the vital priorities of equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of scholarly research, teaching, and discourse. How can political science’s methodological diversity advance and support EDI objectives and priorities within the discipline? Where are the barriers and failures? Where are the opportunities? And can political science serve as a model for other disciplines with more fixed and traditional approaches to knowledge?