Gender, Class, and Freedom in Modern Political Theory
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This book is bound to have a wide audience among both political theorists and feminists. One of its strengths is its analysis of the way in which the theories of freedom of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Mill are gendered. Hirschmann argues pointedly with other feminist interpretations of these theories and she provides an unusually sophisticated feminist analysis of the canon. -- Marion Smiley, Brandeis University This is a great book. Hirschmann's thorough discussion of freedom--though based on a close reading of only five theorists--will, in my opinion, change how we think about freedom. Hirschmann also demonstrates why all good political theory needs to be feminist--not ideologically, but methodologically feminist. Historians of political thought and theorists of freedom and feminism will find much to challenge and provoke their thinking. -- Brooke Ackerly, Vanderbilt University

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION: Gender, Class, and Freedom in Modern Political Theory 1 Negative and Positive Liberty in the Western Canon 2 The Social Construction of Freedom 13 The Gender Politics of Freedom 21 CHAPTER ONE: Thomas Hobbes: Desire and Rationality 29 The Will to Freedom 30 Freedom and Obligation: From Choice to Contract 35 Warrior Women, Invisible Wives 44 Natural Freedom, Civil Contract 49 The Social Construction of Freedom 63 The Containment of Difference 70 Conclusion 77 CHAPTER TWO: John Locke: Freedom, Reason, and the Education of Citizen-Subjects 79 The Role of Reason 80 Nature versus Nurture: The Role of Education 87 The Gendered Property of Freedom 91 Consent, Choice, and a Two-Tiered Conception of Freedom 99 The Construction of Individuality, the Discipline of Freedom 106 Conclusion 115 CHAPTER THREE: Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Force, Freedom, and Family 118 Rousseau's Three Kinds of Freedom 119 Politics and the Will 125 Education, Will, and the Social Construction of Citizens 133 Gender, Education, and Virtue 138 Julie, or The Woman as Model Citizen 152 Gender, Passion, and Politics 161 Conclusion 166 CHAPTER FOUR: Immanuel Kant: The Inner World of Freedom 168 Transcendence and Phenomena 169 Ethics and Politics 178 Class, Education, and Social Construction 188 Sexual Constructions 195 Conclusion 207 CHAPTER FIVE: John Stuart Mill: Utility, Democracy, Equality 213 The "Two Mills" 216 Internal and External Realms 223 The Will to Utility 229 Democracy, Class, and Gender 238 The Class of Education 249 Politics, Participation, and Power 260 Conclusion 266 CONCLUSION: Rethinking Freedom in the Canon 274 Freedom in Its Two Forms 274 Gender, Class, and Berlin's Typology 281 The Social Construction of Freedom 287 Notes 291 References 317 Index 331

About the Author

Nancy J. Hirschmann is the R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her book "The Subject of Liberty: Toward a Feminist Theory of Freedom" (Princeton) won the 2004 Victoria Schuck Award for the best book on women and politics from the American Political Science Association.

Reviews

"Hirschmann argues persuasively concerning the need for another discussion of the 'greats' of modern European political thought. She rereads Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Mill and argues that rather than embracing positive or negative liberty, they use both simultaneously. She further argues that discussions of 'human nature' and the 'state of nature' in each are already rife with social constructivism... Hirschmann profitably combines traditional interests ... with newer scholarly interpretive methods and interests. Her discussion of Locke on positive liberty is a particularly valuable contribution. Clarity, readability, and helpful references to the secondary literature make this a useful volume for students grappling with these texts for the first time."--D. J. Lorenzo, Virginia Wesleyan College, for Choice "This text will be of interest primarily to students, scholars, and teachers of political theory and philosophy, who will appreciate Hirschmann's close, deep, and nuanced interpretations of canonical texts... [H]er newest work will inspire and enable scholars who read it to participate effectively in contemporary discourses of freedom, especially on behalf of those who have been ignored and harmed in the name of freedom, even as they aspire to its enduring allure."--Christine Di Stefano, Politics and Gender "Gender, Class, and Freedom in Modern Political Theory is an impressive piece of scholarship. At its heart are the five chapters devoted to each philosopher, each of which is rich in detail and nuanced argument. The book covers a great deal of ground... [T]his book is written for those who already understand, or think they understand, the Western canon. It promises to change how this canon is conventionally understood. And it delivers on this promise."--Avigail Eisenberg, Perspectives on Politics

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