Athens in the Alps
Meeting Direct Democracy at the Landsgemeinde of Glarus (4th May 2025/3rd May 2026) As historians of political thought, we stretch our imagination to figure out from remote sources how direct democracy might have worked...
Catégorie : Biancamaria Fontana
The endless labour of democracy. In memory of Bernard Manin (1951-2024)
On the 10th December 2024 the University of Lausanne celebrates the life and work of the French political philosopher Bernard Manin, who died on the 1st November last. Manin had a special connection to...
Shooting the Emperor: Historical Narratives and Contemporary Imagination
The release in November 2023 of Ridley Scott’s film Napoleon has attracted a considerable degree of attention and generated a flood of controversies in the media. Given the director’s reputation, any new production by...
Vaccinating the Nation: the First Consul, Dr Guillotin and the No-Vax
In the light of present disputes over the anti-covid-19 vaccination, this remote historical episode, with its trail of propaganda, political opportunism, and ideological controversies, shows an oddly familiar landscape. But was vaccinating a whole...
«Montjoie! Saint-Denis!» Cancel Culture and the Historian
How should historians respond to the claims of what is currently called ‘Cancel culture’?
On the knife’s edge: the “unlimited freedom of the press”, from Jean-Paul Marat to cyberterrorism
The impact of social networks on political discourse and public debates has become a source of growing concern and the subject of endless controversies.
The Enemy from Within: a retrospective glimpse at emergency legislation
The recent pandemics has focused public attention on the impact of emergency sanitary measures on the fundamental rights of citizens. All over the world the freedom to move, to exercise activities, to meet and...
