Politics and the Passions, 1500-1850

(Paperback)

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Focusing on the new theories of human motivation that emerged during the transition from feudalism to the modern period, this is the first book of new essays on the relationship between politics and the passions from Machiavelli to Bentham. Contributors address the crisis of moral and philosophical discourse in the early modern period; the necessity of inventing a new way of describing the relation between reflection and action, and private and public selves; the disciplinary regulation of the body; and the ideological constitution of identity. The collection as a whole asks whether a discourse of the passions might provide a critical perspective on the politics of subjectivity. Whatever their specific approach to the question of ideology, all the essays reconsider the legacy of the passions in modern political theory and the importance of the history of politics and the passions for modern political debates. Contributors, in addition to the editors, are Nancy Armstrong, Judith Butler, Riccardo Caporali, Howard Caygill, Patrick Coleman, Frances Ferguson, John Guillory, Timothy Hampton, John P. McCormick, and Leonard Tennenhouse.

Reviews

"I am very favorably impressed by the articles collected here and by the book as a whole. There is a coherence to the book in terms of topic, a coherence enhanced by the fact that there are essays on the most important figures in the period loosely between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. By its detail and range, the book takes the issue of politics and the passions well beyond Hirschman's classic The Passions and the Interests. The selection of authors is first-rate."Tracy B. Strong, University of California, San Diego
"This is a distinguished collection of essays on a compelling topic by major scholars and theorists. Passion, emotion, and affect have been placed once again on the agenda of the humanities but these topics have been less scrutinized in political matters than elsewhere. This volumewhich should appeal almost equally to students and teachers of politics, literature, and philosophycould hardly arrive at a better time."Ian Balfour, York University

Author Bio

Victoria Kahn is Professor of English and Bernie H. Williams Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Among her books is "Wayward Contracts: The Crisis of Political Obligation in England, 1640-1674" (Princeton). Neil Saccamano is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University. Daniela Coli is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florence, Italy.