The Role of 'Concepts' in John Pocock's Methodology

The study of 'concepts' is one of the problematic issues in the methodology of the history of political thought. The different dimensions of the problem cannot be understood without following the discussions of the 'Cambridge School', of which John Pocock is recognised as one of the main figures, and its debates with approaches such as the 'history of concepts'. But, given that in Pocock's theory, 'language(s)' and linguistic structures such as 'discourse' and 'paradigm' are more important, the role of 'concepts' in his methodology has not been properly investigated. Melvin Richter even once declared that Pocock's approach lacks attention to the history of concepts. This article tries to demonstrate that not only does Pocock not neglect concepts theoretically, and in his research he investigates practically the history of concepts wherever needed, but also, the concepts in his methodology become more effective than he initially assumes.