The Machiavellian Rousseau
Gender and Family Relations in the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6350706 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emanuele Saccarelli (San Diego State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 482-510 |
| Publication date | 2009-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-5917 • E-ISSN: 1552-7476 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0090591709335228 |
| OpenAlex | W2037534299 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 3 |
Rousseau's argument concerning gender and family relations in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality is a Machiavellian one. According to Rousseau, while Machiavelli at first glance seemed to flatter the tyrants, he actually intended to expose their unjust rule. I argue that this original and provocative interpretation of Machiavelli provides a key to Rousseau's own understanding of women as tyrants, and the family as the seat of their rule. My interpretation begins from a number of apparently ambivalent passages found in its Dedication to the Republic of Geneva, and challenges prevailing notions concerning Rousseau's understanding of the masculine reason of the Enlightenment, the character of modern civilization, and the relations of power intersecting the private and public spheres. I also consider the implication of the fact that, although Rousseau attacked what he perceived to be a sinister matriarchy, his arguments have and continues to be appropriated by feminist authors
Ambivalence · Argument (complex analysis · Character (mathematics · Civilization · Enlightenment · Epistemology · General Will · Interpretation (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Psychoanalysis · Social contract · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence · Psychology · Rousseau and Enlightenment Thought
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2021 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |