Interventions | The Intellectual History Podcast

How do we write the history of both the theory and the practice of socialism and welfarism? How do historians negotiate the relationship between their politics and their scholarship? And in what way is Karl Marx's political thinking relevant for us today? Gareth Stedman Jones, Professor of the History of Ideas at Queen Mary, University of London, talked to us about the history of poverty in nineteenth century Europe, his recent biography of Karl Marx, and what Dickens can teach us about writing history.  #welfare state #poverty #socialism #nineteenth century #Marx #Marxism #New Left

How does the world of ideas impact our understanding of political practice? What notions of freedom shaped the Roman republic? And how can Roman understandings of rhetoric empower our thinking in the twenty first century? These are some of the questions we discussed with Dr Valentina Arena, Reader in Roman History at University College London.

What's the relationship between ideas and life experiences, politics and scholarship? How does our methodological self-consciousness evolve? What is the interaction between different schools of intellectual history? Martin Jay reflects on his life and career as an intellectual historian.

Prof. Avi Lifschitz discusses the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe, including debates on language origins, human mind, and political rulers as philosophers. He compares French and German Enlightenment movements, explores the influence of classical antiquity on Enlightenment thinkers, and examines the political agency and philosophical authorship of historical figures like Frederick II of Prussia.

What makes early modern political thought fruitful for our thinking today? How do language and translation inform the writing of history? And why should animals be our starting point for thinking about the political? These are questions we discussed with Dr Annabel Brett, who is a Reader in the History of Political Thought at the University of Cambridge.

In what ways has the question of Anglo-Scottish Union been - and become - urgent? What can historians learn from the philosophers' Enlightenment? These are some of the questions we discuss in this episode with John Robertson, Professor of the History of Political Thought at Cambridge, whose books include 'The Case for Enlightenment: Scotland and Naples, 1680-1760', and 'The Enlightenment. A Very Short Introduction'.

What is the relationship between neoliberalism and human rights? Does the exclusive focus on rights bias the discourse against other staples of ethical relations between humans, like duties? These are some of the questions we discuss in this episode with Samuel Moyn, professor of Law and History at Yale, a major voice on the history of human rights and author of the forthcoming 'Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World.'

What is the history of republicanism in Turkey? How did ideas travel between Turkey and Western Europe? And how can we write a transnational or even global intellectual history? These are some of the questions we discussed with Dr Banu Turnaoğlu, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and a Research Associate of St John's College Cambridge, who is a specialist in the history of Ottoman political thought.

How do intellectual historians approach sources? What can a source change about existing narratives in the history of political thought? And why is it so important for intellectual historians to know who the author of a given source is? Felix Waldmann, Junior Research Fellow at Christ’s College Cambridge, talked to us about manuscripts, forgeries, discoveries and his research on eighteenth century political thought and the Enlightenment in Italy.

How did early modern scholastic theologians understand political power? What does it mean to speak of scholastic republicanism? And in what ways are these theologians suggestive for thinking about politics today? These are some of the questions we discussed with Dr Ben Slingo - a Junior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge - who is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Scholastic Republicanism.