Liberal Languages

Liberal Languages reinterprets twentieth-century liberalism as a complex set of discourses relating not only to liberty but also to welfare and community. Written by one of the world's leading experts on liberalism and ideological theory, it uses new methods of analyzing ideologies, as well as historical case studies, to present liberalism as a flexible and rich tradition whose influence has extended beyond its conventional boundaries. Michael Freeden argues that liberalism's collectivist and holistic aspirations, and its sense of change, its self-defined mission as an agent of developing civilization--and not only its deep appreciation of liberty--are central to understanding its arguments. He examines the profound political impact liberalism has made on welfare theory, on conceptions of poverty, on standards of legitimacy, and on democratic practices in the twentieth century. Through a combination of essays, historical case studies, and more theoretical chapters, Freeden investigates the transformations of liberal thought as well as the ideological boundaries they have traversed. He employs the complex theory of ideological analysis that he developed in previous works to explore in considerable detail the experimental interfaces created between liberalism and neighboring ideologies on the left and the right. The nature of liberal thought allows us to gain a better perspective on the ways ideologies present themselves, Freeden argues, not necessarily as dogmatic and alienated structures, but as that which emanates from the continuous creativity that open societies display.

Liberal Languages reinterprets twentieth-century liberalism as a complex set of discourses relating not only to liberty but also to welfare and community. Written by one of the world's leading experts on liberalism and ideological theory, it uses new methods of analyzing ideologies, as well as historical case studies, to present liberalism as a flexible and rich tradition whose influence has extended beyond its conventional boundaries. Michael Freeden argues that liberalism's collectivist and holistic aspirations, and its sense of change, its self-defined mission as an agent of developing civilization--and not only its deep appreciation of liberty--are central to understanding its arguments. He examines the profound political impact liberalism has made on welfare theory, on conceptions of poverty, on standards of legitimacy, and on democratic practices in the twentieth century. Through a combination of essays, historical case studies, and more theoretical chapters, Freeden investigates the transformations of liberal thought as well as the ideological boundaries they have traversed. He employs the complex theory of ideological analysis that he developed in previous works to explore in considerable detail the experimental interfaces created between liberalism and neighboring ideologies on the left and the right. The nature of liberal thought allows us to gain a better perspective on the ways ideologies present themselves, Freeden argues, not necessarily as dogmatic and alienated structures, but as that which emanates from the continuous creativity that open societies display.

Acknowledgments ixPART ONE 1
INTRODUCTION 3
CHAPTER ONE: Twentieth-Century Liberal Thought: Development or Transformation? 19
CHAPTER TWO: Liberal Community: An Essay in Retrieval 38
CHAPTER THREE: The Concept of Poverty and Progressive Liberalism 60
CHAPTER FOUR: Layers of Legitimacy: Consent, Dissent, and Power in Left-Liberal Languages 78
CHAPTER FIVE: J.A. Hobson as a Political Theorist 94
CHAPTER SIX: Hobson's Evolving Conceptions of Human Nature 109
PART TWO 129
INTERMEZZO 131
CHAPTER SEVEN: Eugenics and Progressive Thought: A Study in Ideological Affinity 144
CHAPTER EIGHT: True Blood or False Genealogy: New Labour and British Social Democratic Thought 173
CHAPTER NINE: The Ideology of New Labour 190
CHAPTER TEN: Is Nationalism a Distinct Ideology? 204
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Political Theory and the Environment: Nurturing a Sustainable Relationship 225
CHAPTER TWELVE: Practising Ideology and Ideological Practices 236
Index 263