British Political Thought in History, Literature and Theory, 1500–1800

This volume celebrates the contribution of the Folger Institute to British studies from 1500 to 1800.

David Armitage (Edited by)

9780521130851, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 February 2010

340 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.5 kg

"J.G.A. Pocock, whos work is a constant point of reference for many of the contributors, asks at the book's beginning what it means to speak of 'British political thought' and wonders whether Britishness is a community or a conversation (11). The essays that follow give voice to the discourse between patriotism and assimilation, exposing the both-and logic of the local and the larger: both fusion and separation within and between the countires it covers and within and between the disciplines that study their cultures. Quentin Skinner concludes that 'no single set of hermeneutic principles' will ever be adequate for more than a fraction of the discourse, but that what is important is the dialogue (284). This collection of intelligently written essays presents an important instance of that dialogue." - Barbara Kreps, University of Pisa

The history of British political thought has been one of the most fertile fields of Anglo-American historical writing in the last half-century. David Armitage brings together an interdisciplinary and international team of authors to consider the impact of this scholarship on the study of early modern British history, English literature, and political theory. Leading historians survey the impact of the history of political thought on the 'new' histories of Britain and Ireland; eminent literary scholars offer novel critical methods attentive to literary form, genre, and language; and distinguished political theorists treat the relationship of history and theory in studies of rights and privacy. The outstanding examples of critical practice collected here will encourage the emergence of fresh research on the historical, critical, and theoretical study of the English-speaking world in the period around 1500–1800. This volume celebrates the contribution of the Folger Institute to British studies over many years.

Notes on contributors
Introduction David Armitage
1. The history of British political thought: a field and its futures J. G. A. Pocock, Gordon Schochet and Lois Schwoerer
Part I. British Political Thought and History: 2. Thinking about the new British history John Morrill
3. The matter of Britain and the contours of British political thought Colin Kidd
4. The intersections between Irish and British political thought of the early modern centuries Nicholas Canny
5. In search of a British history of political thought Tim Harris
Part II. British Political Thought and Literature: 6. Republicanism in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Britain Andrew Hadfield
7. Dramatic traditions and Shakespeare's political thought Jean E. Howard
8. Irony, disguise and deceit: what literature teaches us about politics Steven Zwicker
9. Poetry and political thought: liberty and benevolence in the case of the British Empire c.1680–1800 Karen O'Brien
Part III. British Political Thought and Political Theory: 10. The nature of rights and the history of empire Duncan Ivison
11. Reading the private in Margaret Cavendish: conversations in political thought Joanne H. Wright
12. Reflections on political literature: history, theory and the printed book Kirstie M. McClure
13. Here and now, there and then, everywhere and always: reflections concerning political theorising and the study/writing of the history of political thought Richard E. Flathman
14. Afterword Quentin Skinner
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], British & Irish history [HBJD1], Literature: history & criticism [DS]