A genealogy of the liberal

Abstract

This article traces the genealogy of the conception of poverty as lack, in the philosophical and political field of Anglophone liberalism, from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. We examine in an oblique way texts belonging to literature and philosophy to rebuild the archaeological ground of the diverse figures of the poor, its condition and situation. Thus, through regularities and ruptures, we will identify the successive layers of meaning deposited in the concept of poverty and reactivated intermittently in public discourse and the imagery of a significant portion of contemporary society.