Joseph de Maistre

A Catholic Humanist Interpreter of the French Revolution and Modernity
2026
ISBN: 978-3-506-79835-0
Verlag: Brill I Schoeningh

Buch, Englisch, Band 4, 615 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Modern Catholicisms

This study attempts to synthesize Joseph de Maistre’s historical (and political) reflections on a phenomenon as momentous as the French Revolution. Although not a professional historian or philosopher, Maistre’s merit lies in integrating his interpretation of the French Revolution within the broader framework of cultural transformations (particularly those of a moral and epistemological nature) that underpinned it: the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment.
José Miguel Nanni Soares seeks to demonstrate that the Savoyard Count’s reaction to the Enlightenment-revolutionary project not only aligns with contemporary interpretations of the genesis of the modern world but also, despite his vehement defense of the system of authority (monarchy as a political regime and Catholicism as a spiritual authority), his traditionalism did not lead to a mere desire for a straightforward restoration of the Ancien Régime. Paradoxically, his thought was informed by humanist and rationalist premises.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Nanni Soares, José Miguel

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Katholizismus, Römisch-Katholische Kirche

Über Autor(innen)

José Miguel Nanni Soares specialized in Modern History at the Faculty of History, University of São Paulo. In his research, he focuses on the historiography of the French Revolution.