political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Professor Matt Qvortrup, DPhil (Oxon) is a Senior Research Fellow, at the Centre for European Studies, Australian National University; he also teaches democracy at Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali (LUISS) in Rome

"No society can survive without mutuality. Dr. Qvortrup's book shows that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. It is an excellent primer for anyone wishing to understand how renewal of democracy hinges on a strong civil society"The Rt. Hon. David Blunkett, MP"Rousseau has often been singled out as a precursor of totalitarian thought. Dr Qvortrup argues persuasively that Rousseau was nothing of the sort. Through an array of chapters the book gives an insightful account of Rousseau's contribution to modern philosophy, and how he inspired individuals as diverse as Mozart, Tolstoi, Goethe, and Kant."John Gray, London School of Economics"Qvortrup has written a highly readable and original book on Rousseau. He approaches the subject of Rousseau's social and political philosophy with an attractively broad vision of Rousseau's thought in the context of the development of modernity, including our contemporary concerns. He presents us with an important revisionary view of Rousseau, not as the radical egalitarian revolutionary democrat as standardly conceived, but as a compassionate conservative constitutionalist who is also the first and perhaps only political philosopher to have provided a well-worked out political philosophy of nationalism"John Charvet, London School of Economics

• Preface to the 2nd EditionPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction and method1. The politics of the soul: the life and times of Jean-Jacques Rousseau2. The disenchantment of the world3. Checks, balances and popular participation4. A civic profession of faith: Rousseau and nationalism5. The last of the ancients the first of the moderns?Epilogue: In the beginning was songChronology of Rousseau’s lifePostscript to the 2nd EditionBibliographyIndex