Our views of the history of political thought have all too often been colored by what in different historical contexts happened to be the prevailing values and concerns of the politics of the day. What has been lacking is a thorough and critical theoretical study of politics in postmodernity. Our research into the history of political thought, with special focus on the aspects of that history that are of relevance to philosophy, aims at remedying those deficiencies and pursues that aim in a dialogue with contemporary inquiries in the field elsewhere in the world. Our research engages the questions of the growing practical and theoretical importance for our changing world, such as the ways in which power is constituted, the relationship between war and peace, and issues of international law. At the same time, and intimately connected with problems we face today, our research aims at rethinking the conceptual invention of political institutions that were at the core of modern history and the intricate ways in which they shaped modernity. Special attention has been given to a reconsideration of the origins and historical trajectory of secularism, raising the questions of the relevance - and survival - of that tradition in our own times. Our research into the history of philosophy participates in contemporary debates in this field. It is led by the conviction that a careful rethinking of the emergence and articulation of basic concepts in past philosophical discourses is indispensable for understanding, and thus for developing, our contemporary philosophical thought.