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Chapter 1 - Introduction

Freedom, Power, and Athenian Democracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2024

Naomi T. Campa
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
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Summary

Chapter 1 sets out the main questions and contentions in the book. It explores the concept of freedom and identifies it as a central concept in Athenian democratic ideology in both the private and public spheres. Scholarly debates on the concept of freedom are outlined, with an especial emphasis on Isaiah Berlin’s notion of positive and negative freedom and its application to Athens in subsequent scholarship. Distinguishing democratic freedom from negative and republican versions, I argue that Athenians understood freedom as the ability to do “whatever one wished,” which I classify as a modified version of positive freedom. The focus on citizen agency in accomplishing his will differentiates Athenian democracy from other constitution types and affects its institutional features. The chapter closes with a brief overview of the rest of the chapters.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Introduction
  • Naomi T. Campa, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Freedom and Power in Classical Athens
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009221443.001
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  • Introduction
  • Naomi T. Campa, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Freedom and Power in Classical Athens
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009221443.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Naomi T. Campa, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book: Freedom and Power in Classical Athens
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009221443.001
Available formats
×