Speaking of the "conceptual" and "empirical" relevance of the political community for political studies may sound too obvious to be useful. Yet it may help understand the change of not only political studies but contemporary politics. First, we may take into account the fact that the practically effective “sciences of politics” have never been one but many; from philosophy to law to political science to sociology, and so on. Second, we may assess the “distance” between the disciplinary discourses and the conceptual bases of real-world social and political practices, thus elucidating the question of “relevance” central to many recent critiques of political studies. Third, it can help understand the “world of politics” by showing how the expert discourses shaping governance are influenced by various concepts – take the network or the business corporation – distinct from the more “traditional” concepts of, for example, the polis or the state.
