One may isolate recurring conceptual nodules in the work of some political historians so as to configure a model for conservative thinking. The notion of ‘genealogy’ exposes the relational nature of political conservatism, and emphasizes both its agonistic character and institutional anchorage. One may then hypothesize a ‘conservative moment’ which would correspond to an institutional refashioning. Such an hypothesis dilutes the protagonism of individual subjects and questions the constituent power of a conservative corpus of ideas, except for the one discernible in constitutional affairs. Instead of importing those ideas into a coup d’etat, a genealogical approach reverses the argument and suggests that the dictatorship illuminates the past, bestowing a unifying articulation and meaning to authors who, in spite of their affinities, exhibit significant differences. This genealogical approach also sidelines notions like ‘corpus of ideas’ or ‘models of thought’ that pertain to the philosophy of mind.
Keywords:
conservatism, liberalism, genealogy, political history, institutional
García de la Huerta, M. (2018). Notes for a genealogy of conservative thought. Cuadernos De Historia, (47), pp. 141–163. Retrieved from https://cuadernosdehistoria.uchile.cl/index.php/CDH/article/view/48208
