Whither Republicanism? Theory and practice in the contemporary Anglosphere

A workshop organized by Adrien Rodd (UVSQ) and Frank Rynne (UCP) - Les Chênes - University of Cergy-Pontoise

This workshop will examine concepts of republicanism in the English-speaking world from a comparative perspective. Participants will analyse and contrast the history of political ideas around that notion through the diversity of the Anglophone world. How has the republican ideal been theorised and applied (or not applied) and how has the concrete reality of its application evolved, in the United States, Britain, Ireland or in the republics and realms of the Commonwealth of Nations? What do Americans perceive as constitutive of a republic, by contrast with Canadians, or Britons by comparison with the Irish? What principles do they project into that notion, and in what manners are republican institutions intended to reflect those principles? How do “republican principles” invoked by political leaders, activists and campaigners, or simple citizens in the Anglosphere differ from those invoked in France, or from their equivalents in other nations shaped by a British legacy? This workshop aims to move beyond the usual boundaries of English Studies (namely, a focus on Britain and the USA) by bringing together researchers in contemporary political history who specialise in a diversity of states in the English-speaking world.

Download the program