Title page
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2
ABSTRACT 5
INTRODUCTION 5
WHAT IS A CONCEPT AND WHAT MAKES IT ESSENTIAL? 6
Understanding concepts 6
What makes concepts 'essential'? 8
Why are concepts contested? 9
WHERE AND HOW ARE CONCEPTS CONTESTED? 12
Contesting assumptions in political and normative theorization 12
Contesting assumptions and contextualizing ideal-types in empirical theorization 14
De-naturalizing performatives in political practice 17
IN LIEU OF A CONCLUSION: MEANINGFUL CONTESTATION VIA TRANSLATION 19
REFERENCES 22