The idea of the social contract emerged in the sixteenth century, to illustrate the basis of political order, the elements of political legitimacy, and the aims of political society. Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau posited that rational individuals surrender some of their natural rights and liberties in exchange for the security and protection of government. Some of the defining features of social contract theory – individualism, natural right, natural law, reason, the consent of the governed – are also central to liberalism and the political philosophies of the Enlightenment.
In this course, we will examine the idea of the social contract in classical political theory and its legacy. Our inquiry will center on these questions: Who is the subject of social contract theory? Can anything be salvaged from the idea of the social contract for feminist and antiracist politics? What does social contract theory mean for a political future beyond liberalism? In addition to reading Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, we will also look at the work of John Rawls as a contemporary social contract theorist, paying special attention to how he reimagines this device to serve a liberal theory of justice. We will conclude with two critical engagements with the social contract tradition: Carole Pateman’s The Sexual Contract and Charles Mills’ The Racial Contract.
Please note: There is no physical Brooklyn Institute. We hold our classes throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, in alternative spaces ranging from the back rooms of bars to bookstores to spaces in cultural centers, including the Center for Jewish History, the Goethe-Institut, and the Barnard Center for Research on Women. We can, and do, turn any space into a classroom. You will be notified of the exact location when you register for a class.
