This book examines the performative role of influential thinkers in the history of modern Western political thought. The case studies examine influential political philosophers who saw their writing role 'performatively', as an exercise in pedagogy designed to generate a new type of political following among their readers.

Uhr draws on neglected or forgotten lessons on performative writing from past masters of literary criticism like Lord Shaftesbury, R. G. Collingwood and John Dewey, all of whom can help those now teaching the history of modern political thought to enable students to learn the performance of politics acted out by modernising thinkers capable of writing in ways similar to Machiavelli, Mill and Nietzsche.

John Uhr is Professor of Political Science at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.  

John Uhr is Professor of Political Science at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. He was formerly Director of the Centre for the Study of Australian Politics, of the Policy and Governance Program, Crawford School of Public Policy, and of the Parliamentary Studies Centre at the Australian National University. He teaches two courses in political theory, namely, ancient classical political theory and the history of modern political theory. He has published Deliberative Democracy in Australia (1998), Terms of Trust (2005), Prudential Public Leadership (2015), and co-edited and contributed to Public Leadership (2008), How Power Changes Hands (2011), Studies in Australian Political Rhetoric (2014), and Eureka: Australia's Greatest Story (2015).

1. Introduction: Politics and Pegagogy.- 2. Reading Dewey.- 3. Reading Shaftesbury.- 4. Reading Machiavelli's The Prince.- 5. Reading Mill's On Liberty.- 6. Reading Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals.- 7. Conclusion: Reading Collingwood.