Rousseau’s Emile: education for citizenship by consent

Rousseau famously claimed that one must choose between educating a man and educating a citizen. The traditional reading of Emile sees the protagonist Emile as a man rather than a citizen. Revisionist readings instead argue that Emile is both a good man and a good citizen and that his education prepares him for the model of citizenship outlined in the Social Contract. In this paper, I offer a novel interpretation. I argue that Emile is indeed a good citizen, but a different type of citizen than the model articulated in the Social Contract. Instead of a patriotic citizen focused on national politics, military service, and political participation like the citizen of the Social Contract, Emile is a modern citizen who leads a private life with his wife Sophie, contributes to the public good through local acts of service and strong relationships with his neighbours, and remains detached from national politics and patriotic fervour.