Fellow Árpád Szakolczai Publishes Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Anthropology

We warmly congratulate our Fellow Prof. Dr. Árpád Szakolczai on the publication of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Anthropology, co-edited with Paul O’Connor. Bringing together more than 130 contributions from international scholars, the volume offers a comprehensive exploration of the anthropological foundations of political life.

In her review on VoegelinView, Alicia Stevens highlights the encyclopedia’s distinctive intellectual orientation. Alongside presenting innovative perspectives, the editors and contributors recover thinkers and ideas that have often remained on the margins of mainstream scholarship. Moving beyond purely rationalist approaches, the volume provides a rich set of interpretive tools—intellectual, symbolic, genealogical, and literary—to help readers engage with the complexities of contemporary political life.

In a time marked by epistemic inequality, ecological anxiety, and deep political fragmentation, the encyclopedia combines historical depth with conceptual openness. Both rigorous and accessible, it invites readers to reflect on the present through dialogue with the past, highlighting the particular value of political anthropology as a framework for understanding and navigating the disorientation of modern society.

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Anthropology represents a major scholarly achievement and will serve as an important reference work for researchers and students in political science, anthropology, and related fields. We warmly congratulate Prof. Szakolczai on this remarkable accomplishment and are proud to count him among the Fellows of the Collegium at the University of St. Gallen.