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Debt, Democracy, Citizenship
Dette, démocratie et citoyenneté
A Political History of Public Debts (Europe and the United States, since the Late Eighteenth Century)
Une histoire politique des dettes publiques (Europe, États-Unis, de la fin du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours)
Published on lundi, octobre 15, 2012
Summary
Announcement
Presentation
Proposed by Nicolas Barreyre (EHESS) and Nicolas Delalande (Sciences Po)
Often studied for their economic and financial dimensions, public debts are also, however, a political object, as current events remind us. Recent scholarship has started to show how they have been consubstantial to state-building, and how they have shaped contemporary societies. Their historical role raises the questions of sovereignty and its transformations; of the relationship between states, creditors and taxpayers; and the complex links between national independence and an increasingly globalized economy. Since the late eighteenth century, debt capacity, growth, reduction or repudiation have periodically become hot issues, both in international relations and domestic politics, especially at times of war. They are key to understand the development of parliamentarism (especially with issues of budgetary control and transparency); the building of new nation-states in the 19th century (for instance in the Americas); the social conflicts on the political role of bondholders (as in Britain at the turn of the 19th century, for example); the emergence of the loan-subscribing citizen as a patriotic figure in times of war; the rise of European and U.S. financial imperialism; the external control imposed on defaulting countries (Greece, Egypt or the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, developing countries in the 1970s-1980s, southern European nations today, etc.).
In this symposium, we propose to examine the importance of the public debt issue in the political history of modern states from a variety of geographical perspectives, chronological frames, and methodological approaches (intellectual history, political economy, social history of politics, comparative and/or transnational history, etc.). We invite papers analyzing how the topic of debt was debated in the public sphere, studying the forms and limits of its politicization, outlining how it shaped both discourse and practice on such issues as citizenship, social mobilization, and the proper relationship between democracy and economic international relations. If institutions and financial paradigms will not be set aside, we propose to focus on the public debt as the locus for political debate and conflict, between a diverse array of groups (taxpayers, bondholders, financiers, experts, etc.) who shaped an identity and found a political voice from and around this issue. We particularly welcome papers reflecting on the links between the public debt and such central concepts as citizenship, sovereignty, democracy and solidarity (be it financial or political).
Submission guidelines
Scholars interested in presenting a paper are invited to send a proposal (c. 500 words) to the organizers
by November 30, 2012.
This symposium is to be held in Paris in June 2013.
Papers will be circulated in advance among the participants, so as to give time to discussions during the symposium.
There will be no fee to attend.
Scientific committee
- Nicolas Barreyre, EHESS (CENA-MASCIPO)
- Nicolas Delalande, Sciences Po (CHSP)
Subjects
- History (Main subject)
- Society > Economy > Political economy
- Zones and regions > America > United States
- Zones and regions > America > Canada
- Periods > Early modern > Eighteenth century
- Periods > Modern
- Zones and regions > Europe
- Society > Political studies
Places
- Paris, France (75)
Date(s)
- vendredi, novembre 30, 2012
Keywords
- dette publique, citoyenneté, souveraineté, démocratie, rentier, emprunt, emprunt de guerre
Contact(s)
- Nicolas Delalande
courriel : nicolas [dot] delalande [at] sciencespo [dot] fr - Nicolas Barreyre
courriel : nicolas [dot] barreyre [at] ehess [dot] fr
Information source
- Nicolas Barreyre
courriel : nicolas [dot] barreyre [at] ehess [dot] fr
To cite this announcement
« Debt, Democracy, Citizenship », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on lundi, octobre 15, 2012, https://calenda-formation.labocleo.org/223506
