European Society for the History of Political Thought
Inaugural Conference Towards a European Political Thought:
in the Footsteps of Herodotus
6-7 july 2009 European University Institute in Florence
Announcement (March 21, 2009)
Political Thought is undoubtedly one of the most peculiar ‘productions’ generated by European culture – perhaps the most ‘European’ of all. The historical study of this great heritage – its contents, values and teaching, both as elaboration from, and inspiration for our political institutions - constitutes one of the great challenges for the development of European culture in the 21st century.
History of Political Thought has established itself as an important academic discipline in Italy and has been cultivated in most European countries, though sometimes in a national perspective, or as part of other subjects, such as Political Science or Modern and Contemporary History. A European Society for the History of Political Thought could provide a great incentive to its further development as an autonomous academic discipline, particularly in Eastern European countries.
The fundamental aim of this Society, however, should be that of providing a European perspective for the History of Political Thought and a historical approach to the study of this fundamental cultural deposit, whose knowledge cannot be avoided by any ‘decently European’ proposal for the political future of our continent.
For these reasons the project of setting up a European Society for the History of Political Thought was promptly and generously supported by Yves Meny, The President of the European University Institute in Florence, and has taken shape in discussions among a small group of scholars from all parts of the continent.
The Founding Committee of the Society held its first meeting at the European University Institute on the 8th September 2008, to define the Society’s aims, activities and statute, which were then publicly registered at a Florentine notary, and a second meeting which also took place at the Institute on the 13th March 2009.
The first activity of the society will be its opening Conference and convening assembly. The Inaugural Conference will take place at the European University Institute in Florence and is scheduled for Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 July 2009.
Its leading motto will be
Towards a European Political Thought: in theFootsteps of Herodotus.
The Conference Programme will consist of a set of four keynote speakers, who will be asked to reflect on and elucidate their way of doing the study of European political thought, followed by five panels, discussing work-in-progress in what are seen as key debates in the historical study of European political thought.
The General Assembly will take place at the end of the Conference, on the 7th July 2009, and will proceed to the election of the President, the Executive Committee and the Audit Commission of the European Society for the History of Political Thought.
Contact: eurohpt@gmail.com
Source: http://europoliticalthought.wordpress.com/
Programme
Monday 6 July 2009
10.00 – 11.15 Key-note speaker: Wilfried Nippel (Humboldt Univ. Berlin),Monday 6 July 2009
11.15 – 11.45 Coffee-break
11.45 – 13 Key-note speaker: Janet Coleman (London School of Economics), Medieval Political Thought as European Political Thought
14.30 – 16 Panel 1: The Enlightenment: a mirror of Europe?
Conveners: Xavier Gil (Univ. de Barcelona) and Paschalis Kitromilides (Univ. of Athens)
Papers:
- Paschalis Kitromilides (Univ. of Athens),”Varieties of Enlightenment”
- José M. Portillo (Univ. del País Vasco y Univ. de Santiago de Compostela), “Enlightenment and Early Constitutionalism in the Spanish Atlantic”
- Bela Kapossy (Université de Lausanne), “The Enlightenment and the Emergence of National Traditions of Political Thought”
16.30 – 18.00 Panel 2: Translation and reception in the history of modern political thought: European and global perspectives Convener: László Kontler (Central European University, Budapest)
Papers:
- Orsolya Vincze (Cluj, Romania), “The Fortunes of the Royal Gift: TheEuropean reception of James I/VI “
- Fania Oz-Salzberger (Haifa, Israel), “Schiller, Ferguson and the Politics of Play”
- Douglas Howland (Milwaukee, US), “International Law in East Asia: Concepts and Practice in the Nineteenth Century.”
Conveners: Lucien Jaume (Sciences Po, Paris) and Bo Stråth (Univ. of Helsinki)
Paper:
Helena Rosenblatt (CUNY), “Religion and Liberals”
Discussant: Giovanni Paoletti (Univ. Pisa)
Paper: Francesco De Sanctis (I.U. S.Orsola Benincasa, Napoli), “Antiquity versus modern period and Liberalism, the question of the individual”
Discussant: Lucien Jaume (Sciences Po, Paris)
Paper: Alan Kahan (South. Meth. Univ. Paris),”Liberalism and elitist spirit”
Discussant: Stefano De Luca (I.U. S.Orsola Benincasa, Napoli)
Tuesday 7 July 2009
10.00 – 11.15 Key-note speaker: Diego Quaglioni (Univ. Trento), Sovereignty versus Tyranny in the History of Medieval and Early Modern European Political Thought 11.15 – 11.45 Coffee-break
11.45 – 13 Key-note speaker: Jan-Werner Mueller (Princeton, US), Can there be a European history of twentieth-century political thought?
14.30 – 16 Panel 4: The Biblical Polity
Convener: Lea Campos Boralevi (Università di Firenze)
Papers:
- Lea Campos Boralevi (Univ. Firenze), “The Biblical Polity as a political model in the History of Early Modern European Political Thought “
- Anna Maria Lazzarino Del Grosso (Un. Genova, Hon Pres. AISDP), “Bodin’s «scientific» model of the Respublica Hebraeorum“
- Mark Somos (Univ. of Sussex), “The history of Secularisation: The Leiden circle 1575-1618″
16.30- 18 Panel 5: Toleration in Early Modern Europe: Reappraising Bayle, Grotius and Locke
Conveners: Rainer Forst (J.W. Goethe Univ. Frankfurt) and Martin van Gelderen (Europ. Univ. Institute, Florence)
Papers:
- Rainer Forst (J.W. Goethe Univ. Frankfurt), “Bayle’s Theory of Toleration”
- Martin van Gelderen (Europ. Univ. Institute, Florence), “From Freedom of Conscience to Religious Pluralism: The Hesitations of Hugo Grotius”
- Tim Stanton (Univ. of York), “Locke, Liberty of Conscience and Toleration”
18.00 – General Assembly and Drinks
Contact: eurohpt@gmail.com
Source: http://europoliticalthought.wordpress.com/inaugural-conference/
Founding Committee
- Lea Campos Boralevi (Univ. di Firenze ) Italy
- Janet Coleman (London School of Economics ) England
- Rainer Forst (JW Goethe Univ. Frankfurt ) Germany
- Xavier Gil (Univ. de Barcelona) Spain
- Lucien Jaume (Sciences Po, Paris) France
- Paschalis Kitromilides (Univ. of Athens) Greece
- Laszlo Kontler (Centr. Europ. Univ. Budapest) Hungary
- Bo Strath (Univ. of Helsinki) Sweden
- Martin van Gelderen (European Univ. Institute) The Netherlands
The Founding Committee has agreed that, prior to the General Assembly on 7 July 2009, Lea Campos Boralevi will act as President, Martin van Gelderen as Treasurer.
Contact: eurohpt@gmail.com
Aims & Membership The aims of the Society are:
Aims:- to promote the study of the history of the traditions of European political thought;
- to move beyond national historiographies and open up distinct comparative, transnational and supranational perspectives;
- to promote the historical study of the relationship of the varieties of European political thought and those of other regions in the world;
- to provide a forum in which scholars at a relatively early stage in their careers can discuss their work with one another and with more senior researchers in the field;
- to bring together scholars from a variety of academic disciplines, intellectual approaches, scholarly generations and European regions.
Membership:
Membership is open to everybody who subscribes to the aims of the Society and who holds an academic degree at master’s level or has equivalent experience.
It was decided to set the initial fee for the joining the Society at 20 euros. You can make a bank transfer to the Society’s account at Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze : European Society for the History of Political Thought IBAN:IT54T0616002800000114793000
Sending a note to eurohpt@gmail.com where you specify your full address and attach a shorf CV.Source: http://europoliticalthought.wordpress.com/aims-membership/
