Interventions | The Intellectual History Podcast

Teresa Bejan, a political theory professor at the University of Oxford and author of 'Mere Civility,' dives into the intriguing dynamics of equality in the seventeenth century. She critiques the notion of civility as a true marker of equality, exploring its ties to social hierarchies. Bejan also unpacks ancient concepts of free speech, linking them to modern debates, and highlights the nuanced differences between descriptive and prescriptive narratives of equality. Her insights challenge conventional thinking and encourage a broader engagement with political philosophy.

How can we understand thinkers in their own terms? Why is such an approach particularly fruitful to understanding Hume? What can philosophy and the history of political thought learn from one another? What can Hobbes's conception of the people teach us about populism? James Harris, professor of the history of philosophy at the University of St Andrews, joins us to discuss these questions and more in this episode. This episode's hosts: Zack Rauwald & Elena Yi-Jia Zeng.

What is the relationship between war and representation? Why can't we understand the French Revolution without thinking about the political management of public debt? And what does the future have to do with how we write history? These are some of the questions answered by Michael Sonenscher, Fellow of King's College, University of Cambridge. This episode's hosts: Michael Kretowicz & Charlotte Johann.

How does skepticism serve history? What lessons does Hegel hold for the modern historian? Why is an understanding of historical consciousness so important across the humanities? These are some of the questions we asked Richard Bourke, Professor of the History of Political Thought at the University of Cambridge.  Publications mentioned in this episode include:  István Hont and Michael Ignatieff, Wealth and Virtue: The Shaping of Political Economy in the Scottish Enlightenment (CUP: 1983) Richard Bourke, Peace in Ireland: The War of Ideas (Pimlico: 2003) Richard Bourke, Empire and Revolution: The Political Life of Edmund Burke (Princeton University Press: 2015) Richard Bourke and Quentin Skinner, eds. History in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CUP: 2002) Richard Bourke, Hegel’s World Revolutions (Princeton University Press: forthcoming, 2023)

What makes the seventeenth century such a fascinating period in the history of philosophy? In what ways does Spinoza speak to contemporary philosophical problems? And in what sense is philosophy an inherently historical discipline? These are some of the questions that we asked  Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College London.  Some books and papers mentioned in this episode are: - Augustine of Hippo: A Biography by Peter Brown - The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt  - Spinoza on philosophy, religion, and politics: the Theologico-political treatise by Susan James - 'Responding Emotionally to Fiction: A Spinozist Approach' by Susan James - Early Modern French Thought by Michael Moriarty

What can decolonisation in twentieth century Africa tell us about the history of political thought? How might African intellectual history shed light on new methods and modes of inquiry? And what does it mean to ‘decolonise’ intellectual history? Emma Hunter, professor of global and African history at the University of Edinburgh and the 2018/19 Quentin Skinner Fellow, joins us to discuss these questions and more in this episode. 

What can history contribute to the pursuits of contemporary political theory? What does the notion of the Anthropocene have to do with the history of political thought? And what exactly is the legacy of the political thought produced during the First World War?  These are some of the questions discussed in this episode with Duncan Kelly, professor of political thought and intellectual history at the University of Cambridge, and the author of Politics and the Anthropocene (2019).

What is the place of history in the study of law? How do historians of international law conceive of emergent actors on the global stage? To what extent do legal histories shape the expectations and commitments of today’s international institutions? Dr Megan Donaldson, recently appointed to a lectureship in Public International Law at University College London, addresses these questions and shares her experience of a complex intersection between law, legal history and the history of political thought. #Globalgovernance #legalhistory #internationallaw #deliberativedemocracy #publicity #interwarperiod 

How does an attention to gender change our understanding of Renaissance political texts and the history of ideas more broadly? How can we challenge the traditional divide between the political public and the apolitical private spheres? And in what ways is re-evaluating the conceptual relationship between disadvantaged groups in the early modern period fruitful for our own times? We spoke to Anna Becker, from the Centre of Privacy Studies at the University of Copenhagen, to discuss these questions and more. #gender #Renaissance #household #Machiavelli #Bodin #power #sovereignty

Which ideas and values shaped the relationship between humans and  their environment in early modern Europe? Why did authors become  interested in translating their own work, and what ramifications could  this have? How can the ways in which authors were read, copied, and  censored in the past enrich our understanding of their work? These are  some of the questions we discuss with Dr Sara Miglietti, Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Intellectual History at the Warburg Institute in London.