Jason Frank Libros

Jason Frank's Publius and Political Imagination is the first volume of the Modernity and Political Thought series to take as its focus not a single author, but collaboration between political thinkers, in this very special case the collective known by the pseudonym: Publius. Frank's revisionist reading of The Federalist Papers--perhaps the most canonical text in American political thought--counters familiar realist and deliberativist interpretations and demonstrates the neglected importance of political imagination to both Publius's arguments and to the republic he was invented to found.

The book delves into the legal and political challenges arising from the American Revolution's establishment of "the people" as the source of public authority. It highlights key moments of conflict regarding self-representation, examining how these dilemmas shaped the evolving understanding of democracy and governance in the new nation. Through this exploration, it sheds light on the complexities of identity, power, and the role of citizens in a fledgling democracy.