"Le mâle n'est mâle qu'en certains instants, la femelle est femelle toute sa vie" Natura, generi e politica in Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The aim of this thesis is to highlight the philosophical and political implications of the Rousseauian concept of nature. Focusing on this concept, throughout Rousseau’s theory, allows the analysis of some of the main feminist issues, such as sexuality, body and gender performativity. In particular, this research examines how ‘nature’ is a concept that plays a fundamental role in building a new political order (based on the dichotomy between the public sphere and the private sphere) and also in creating gendered identities (female/male). Moreover, the principal goal of this thesis is to show how the bodies are the cornerstone of Rousseau's political project: their material substance is a breeding ground for both the construction of Rousseauian and Revolutionary imagination.