Publications
2025
Sexual Liberation, Democratic Theory and the Rise of the British Labour Party
A precis of some of the themes from my book manuscript. The focus is on the gay liberationist Edward Carpenter’s attempt to explain how a democratic way of life characterized by honesty, fellowship and interpersonal openness was possible in a mass society ruled by a representative government. The paper analyses his account of how to realize this vision of democracy, and shows how his views influenced Ramsay MacDonald, the first Labour Prime Minister.
History of Political Thought
2023
Representative government as anti-imperialism : Edward Carpenter’s radical critique of Victorian civilization
This paper examines the relationship between the critique of civilization, anti-imperialism, gender and representative government in the political thought of the neglected communist, environmentalist, and gay liberationist Edward Carpenter (1844–1929). In recent years, there has been a dramatic growth in the historical literatures on anti-imperialism and representative government, yet these two topics are rarely connected. Meanwhile, a voluminous literature on the concept of civilization and its role in British imperialism has largely ignored its role in justifying social and political domination in Britain itself. Carpenter's writings on these topics are important because he offers a defense of the value of representative government that is grounded in his anti-imperialism. Furthermore, his critique of civilization led him to connect problems of social domination in India to the struggles of women, homosexuals, and the working class. These groups ought in turn to be enfranchised and given roles in the functioning of the state.
European Journal of Political Theory
2021
Maturity and individuality in the later writings of J.S. Mill: a unified account
This paper offers an integrated account of maturity and the requisites of individuality in the political thought of John Stuart Mill, bridging his writings on the individual and society. To do so, it focuses on Mill's account of the relationship between civilization, democracy, class, individuality and custom in his later political thought. Mill draws on these concepts to flesh out his account of maturity in both individuals and societies. Mill's conception of custom, in particular, bridges the individual and society. Maturity, simply defined, is the ability to be self-governing. For Mill, only mature individuals and societies are entitled to be self-determining. In offering a unified account of maturity in Mill, this paper is departing from two different views of maturity in Mill that have become popular in recent scholarship. It also offers interpretations of the relationship between civilization and democracy, and class and custom in Mill.
History of European Ideas
