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Constituent Power in Early Modern Political Philosophy

From La Boétie to Hobbes

Filippo Del Lucchese (Professor in History of Political Thought, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna)

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Hardback

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English
Edinburgh University Press
10 March 2026
This book offers an in-depth examination of constituent power through the writings of six major philosophers from the 16th and 17th centuries, highlighting how their ideas have shaped the foundation and transformation of political philosophy.

Filippo Del Lucchese delves into how La Boetie, Bodin, Lipsius, Campanella, Surez and Hobbes conceptualized and influenced the evolution of this fundamental political idea. By examining their writings, he illuminates the diverse interpretations and the profound impact these thinkers had on the formation of political authority and constitutional frameworks. He also bridges this historical analysis with contemporary debates on democracy, sovereignty and the enduring tension between political foundation and institutional stability in modern legal and political theory.
By:  
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 156mm, 
ISBN:   9781399554732
ISBN 10:   1399554735
Pages:   224
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Introduction: The Revolutionary Paradigm of the Constituent Principle: the Arabian phoenix of Power between Politics and Law Chapter 1: Étienne de La Boétie: The Paradox of Voluntary Subjection Chapter 2: The Architecture of Power in Bodin’s Theory: Unraveling the Roots of Constituent Authority Chapter 3: The Stoic Foundations of Authority in Lipsius’ Political Thought Chapter 4: Crafting Power from Utopia: Campanella’s Prophetic Foundation of Constituent Authority Chapter 5: The Theological Underpinnings of Political Power in Suárez’s Philosophy Chapter 6: Hobbes on the Genesis of Sovereign Power: The Role of Constituent Authority Conclusion: Philosophical Genealogies and Political Ontology: Theoretical Models of Constituent Power between Early Modernity and Contemporary Theory Bibliography Index

Filippo Del Lucchese is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Bologna and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. His research interests are in the early modern period and the history of political thought and Marxism. He has been a Marie Curie fellow and holds degrees from the universities of Pisa and Paris IV (Sorbonne). He is the author of Conflict, Power and Multitude in Machiavelli and Spinoza (Continuum, 2009), The Political Philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli (EUP, 2015), and Monstrosity and Philosophy: Radical Otherness in Greek and Latin Culture (EUP, 2019). He has published articles in journals such as History of Political Thought, European Journal of Political Theory, Dialogue, International Studies in Philosophy, and Differences. He has taught in France, Lebanon, the United States and in the UK.

Reviews for Constituent Power in Early Modern Political Philosophy: From La Boétie to Hobbes

Filippo del Lucchese has written a gem of a book in which he shows how early formulations of the concept of constituent power can be found already in the work of early modern thinkers such as Campanella, Lipsius and Bodin, and, moreover, why this inquiry is essential for understanding the modern foundations of political and constitutional authority.--Marco Goldoni, University of Glasgow


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