The epistemological change of conceptions of political legitimacy in the premodern period

This study examines the epistemological change of conceptions of political legitimacy in the Premodern Period. Political legitimacy refers to the value references that people's approval to make the existence of power possible. It can be said that throughout history, conceptions of political legitimacy have changed under the influence of different social, political, and economic conditions. This study aims to reveal the epistemological change of conceptions of political legitimacy in the Premodern Period. In this regard, the framework and historical trajectory of the conceptualization of political legitimacy have been examined. Subsequently, the conceptions of political legitimacy in the Premodern Period have been sought to be identified through a chronological evaluation. Then, it was analyzed what kind of change these conceptions reflect regarding political epistemology. In the study, a qualitative approach was preferred and an attempt was made to concretize the changing political epistemology through selected conceptions of political legitimacy. Books, book chapters, scholarly articles, and online websites in the literature were subjected to content analysis to reveal the changes in conceptions of political legitimacy during the Premodern Period. As a result of the study, it has been observed that political legitimacy in the Premodern Period is based on metaphysical references from an epistemological perspective. It has been determined that the legitimacy of political power is based on metaphysical elements such as ancestor cult, myth, legends and religion. It has been observed that, with the Early Modern Period, conceptions of political legitimacy were epistemologically constructed by referencing worldly political authorities, humanity, science, and law. This study proposes to evaluate political history and philosophy regarding the epistemological change of the conceptions of political legitimacy in the Premodern Period. With the research to be conducted, examining the conceptions of political legitimacy more comprehensively will be possible. Thus, it will be possible to analyze the considerations of political legitimacy in the literature of political history and philosophy from many perspectives.