ABSTRACT
Though Rousseau begins Emile by arguing that the educations of ‘men’ and ‘citizens’ are incompatible alternatives, it has become fashionable to emphasize the continuities that link his domestic and political visions. In what follows, I develop conceptions of Rousseauian romantic love and friendship that undermine this increasingly popular view by establishing two propositions: (1) since the domestic sphere directly instantiates the human good through the experiences of love and friendship, it is wrong to suggest that their significance lies in their politicizing capacity, and (2) since the experiences of love and friendship cultivate affective orientations at odds with the requirements of citizenship, it is a mistake to view the Rousseauian household as an agent of political socialization.
