Citizens to Lords: A Social History of Western Political Thought from Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages

by Ellen Meiksins Wood

Overview

In this groundbreaking work, Ellen Meiksins Wood lays out her innovative approach to the history of political theory and traces the development of the Western tradition from classical antiquity through the late Middle Ages. Her “social history” is a significant departure from other contextual interpretations. Treating canonical thinkers as passionately engaged human beings, Wood examines their ideas not simply in the context of political discourse but as creative responses to the social relations and conflicts of their time and place. From the Ancient Greek polis of Plato and Aristotle, through the Roman Republic of Cicero and the Empire of St. Paul and St. Augustine, to the medieval world of Averroes, Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, Citizens to Lords offers a rich, dynamic exploration of thinkers and ideas that have stamped their imprint upon history and the present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781844678167
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	08/01/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	662 KB

About the Author

Ellen Meiksins Wood, for many years Professor of Political Science at York University, Toronto, is the author of many books, including Democracy Against Capitalism and, with Verso, The Pristine Culture of Capitalism, The Origin of Capitalism, Peasant-Citizen and Slave, Citizens to Lords, Empire of Capital and Liberty and Property.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

1 The Social History of Political Theory 1

2 The Ancient Greek Polis 28

3 From Polis to Empire 99

4 The Middle Ages 164

Conclusion 233

Index 237

Editorial Reviews

Few historians of comparative political thought are in the same league as Ellen Wood, who surveys the whole sweep of ancient and medieval thinkers with equal magisterial brilliance of insight.”—Professor Paul Cartledge, University of Cambridge

“A challenging analysis, which successfully integrates theory with historical changes. The clarity of the writing makes her account readily accessible to any reader ready to engage a fresh approach to the history of political theory.”—Sheldon Wolin

“Meiksins Wood is a rare breed—an academic with the soul of a storyteller. Highly recommended.”—Morning Star

“Immensely impressive, bold and erudite ... Meiksins Wood‘s conclusions are undeniably nuanced, challenging and important ... This book ought to be compulsory reading for us all.”—Times Higher Education Supplement

From the Publisher

Few historians of comparative political thought are in the same league as Ellen Wood, who surveys the whole sweep of ancient and medieval thinkers with equal magisterial brilliance of insight.

Paul Cartledge

A challenging analysis, which successfully integrates theory with historical changes. The clarity of the writing makes her account readily accessible to any reader ready to engage a fresh approach to the history of political theory.

Sheldon Wolin

Immensely impressive, bold and erudite...Meiksins Wood’s conclusions are undeniably nuanced, challenging and important...This book ought to be compulsory reading for us all.

Times Higher Education Supplement

An excellent book—beautifully written, impressively researched and carefully argued.

Labor/Le Travail

Meiksins Wood is a rare breed—an academic with the sould of a storyteller. Highly recommended.

Morning Star