Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This is a book about the political thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Its aim is to explain why, for Rousseau, thinking about politics – whether as democratic sovereignty, representative government, institutionalised power, imaginative vision or a moment of decision – lay at the heart of what he called his “grand, sad system.” This book tracks the gradual emergence of the various components of that system and describes the connections between them. The result is a new and fresh interpretation of one of Europe’s most famous political thinkers, showing why Rousseau can be seen as one of the first theorists of the modern concept of civil society and a key source of the problematic modern idea of a federal system.

Michael Sonenscher is a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. He is the author of Before the Deluge and Sans-Culottes: An Eighteenth-Century Emblem in the French Revolution, as well as the editor of Sieyès: Political Writings.

“There is much to like here, and students of Rousseau’s political thought will find many novel insights scattered throughout the book. The book is particularly helpful in working through the manner in which Rousseau’s later writings cast interpretive light on the earlier texts. Sonenscher’s book will be especially valuable to those in political theory, who tend to give short shrift to historical considerations.”
M. Harding, in: CHOICE, Vol. 58, No. 5 (January 2021).

“What Michael Sonenscher has accomplished in this book is nothing short of remarkable. […] Sonenscher’s work is admirable because it covers so much ground so succinctly, cogently, and elegantly. […] This book is highly recommended for scholars who work on eighteenth-century history or literature and political theory, especially federal government, in any era.”
Rebecca Crisafulli, Saint Anselm College. In: H-France Review, Vol. 22, No. 137 (August 2022).

“this is a masterful, deeply engaging read, indispensable for anyone interested in Rousseau’s political thought. Its rich bibliography and very detailed index make it a helpful tool for scholars and graduate students. This major contribution further demonstrates how crucial a nuanced, thorough engagement with the Enlightenment is, if we want to truly understand the complex economic and political contemporary order we live in.”
Flora Champy, Princeton University. in: Eighteenth-Century Studies (2023) 56 (3): pp.492-494