The love of a sage or the command of a superior: The natural law doctrines of Leibniz and Pufendorf

The study of natural law theories is presently one of the most fruitful areas of research in the studies of early modern intellectual history, and moral and political theory. Likewise the historical significance of the Enlightenment for the development of modernisation' in many different forms continues to be the subject of controversy. This collection therefore offers a timely opportunity to re-examine both the coherence of the concept of an early Enlightenment', and the specific contribution of natural law theories to its formation. The works of major thinkers such as Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Malebranche, Pufendorf and Thomasius are reassessed, and the appeal and importance of the discourse of natural jurisprudence both to those working inside conventional educational and political structures and to those outside - such as in the Huguenot diaspora - is evaluated. This volume will therefore be of importance to all those readers concerned to study the character of the debates in the period 1650-1750 surrounding moral and political agency, sovereignty and obligation, and the legitimation of religious toleration in the divergent states and patriotic contexts of Europe.

Myth, moment and the challenge of identities: Stories from Australians of Indigenous and Chinese ancestry

There has been a long history of contact between Indigenous and Chinese people in north-eastern Australia. This is evidenced in contemporary communities by the significant presence of mixed-heritage individuals of Indigenous and Chinese ancestry. This paper employs the stories of 10 such individuals to examine their incorporation of 'otherculture' ancestries into identity constructs. In doing so, the paper sheds light on how identities are narrated at the intersection of 'myth' and 'moment', and how challenge evokes transformation and discontinuity. Three broad identity responses emerge from the data: affirmation of singular constructs; questioning and contemplation; and pluralist embracing of both cultures. Historical and contemporary discourses feature prominently, covertly and overtly restricting potential identifications. Mutuality and hegemonic rivalry are found to underpin the narration of relations between the two marginalised and racialised groups.

Taking Darwin seriously: More than telling just so stories

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