Political Theory Reading Group
Conversations with authors and texts across time and space
The Reading Group in Political Theory is a term-time weekly meeting of the staff and postgraduate students (both research and taught) working in political theory, also open to colleagues and students from other areas in politics, and from any other discipline. It often welcomes the participation of speakers from other Universities.
The Reading Group started as an experiment in conversation between colleagues in the political theory cluster with very different interests and approaches to the subject. Even when disagreeing profoundly and not fully understanding each other, we carry on enjoying these conversations.
Over the years, the Reading Group has become the focus of our research culture, an opportunity to exchange ideas and look at political and theoretical issues from many different perspectives. Thanks to the participation of colleagues and speakers from a variety of disciplines besides politics (philosophy, law, classics, economics, history, business, English, theology, geography, the arts), the Reading Group provides an invaluable opportunity for interdisciplinary explorations and dialogue.
The format of the Reading Group varies from week to week. The standard format is for one member of the group or an external speaker to briefly introduce a pre-circulated text, followed by a (more or less heated and controversial) discussion on any issue that seems relevant to the text itself. Often, however, we have internal or external speakers (academics and postgraduates) presenting their own papers. The format of this meetings following the same format: pre-circulated papers, a brief introduction, and an open and wide-ranging discussion. Occasionally, the Reading Group takes the form of a workshop with more than one speaker, or a symposium about a published book.
The Reading Group gives an opportunity to research students at Exeter to present their own work or to discuss texts in which they are interested. It helps them to discover new texts and a variety of ways of looking at familiar subjects. It is a way of socializing postgraduates into the discipline by exposing them to different texts and detailed discussions about them. Master students in political theory are required do a presentation at the Reading Group as part of their degree. This may be intimidating for some, but they all find it an interesting and formative experience. And even the senior staff finds it still a stimulating and refreshing experience.
Unless otherwise stated, sessions take place on Wednesdays, 12:40–14:00, in Amory B219.
Sessions at this time are also accessible on Zoom using this link.
Meeting ID: 984 9838 4819. Password (if needed): 166803
Week 2 Wednesday 22nd January 17:00–18:30, Newman Collaborative LT
Book presentation event with the Centre of Advanced International Studies (CAIS)
World of the Right: Radical Conservatism and Global Order, Abrahamsen et al., 2024
Speakers: Rita Abrahamsen (University of Ottawa), Michael Williams (University of Ottawa), and Jean-François Drolet (Queen Mary University of London)
Commentators: Bice Maiguashca (UoE) and Alex Prichard (UoE)
(Followed by reception)
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Week 3 Wednesday 29th January
Andrew Schaap (UoE), working paper, ‘Democratic Politics and the Labour of Civility’
With response from Carole Gayet-Viaud (French National Centre for Scientific Research)
Week 4 Wednesday 5th February
No CPT event.
Note, also on this date: IR discipline talk, Ayşe Zarakol (Cambridge), ‘Is the Disorder of Our Times Unprecedented?’, 14:00–15:30, Forum Digital Maker Space
Week 4 Thursday 6th February 14:00–15:00, Seminar Room 1, Digital Humanities Lab, Queen's Building
Joint seminar with the China Global Centre
Prof. Barend ter Haar, ‘The social and cultural history of sound in China’
Week 5 Wednesday 12th February
Sarah Drews Lucas (UoE), ‘The Moral Entwinement of Feminist Critical Theory and Care Ethics’
Week 6 Wednesday 19th February
Alex McLaughlin (UoE), 'Visionaries and Crackpots, Maniacs and Saints: Existential Risk and the Politics of Longtermism'
Note, also on this date: Philosophy discipline talk, Kal Kalewold (University of Leeds), 'Metaphysics of Race’, 15:30–17:00, Seminar Room, Byrne House
Week 7 Wednesday 26th February
Andreas Karoutas and Habibe Ilhan (University of the West of Scotland), paper presentation: ‘Temporality Now! Decoloniality-Priority in the Pedagogical Time-Space'
Week 8 Wednesday 5th March 12:00–14:30, Council Chamber, Northcote House (12:00–12:40 lunch provided)
Joint event with Classics & Ancient History and ROUTES
‘Non-State civic membership from Antiquity to Modernity: Ancient Roman Expulsions and Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) Citizenship Resurgence’
Main Speaker: Damien Lee (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Discussants: Elena Ysayev (UoE) and Andrew Schaap (UoE)
Week 9 Wednesday 12th March
Robert Jubb (University of Reading), Unjust Authority
With comments from Alex McLaughlin (University of Exeter)
Week 10 Wednesday 19th March
‘The end of liberal politics? From juridification to conspiracy theories’
Jamie M Johnson (University of Leicester), Victoria M Basham (Cardiff University), and Owen David Thomas (UoE)
Week 11 Wednesday 26th March 15:30–17:30, location TBC
MA symposium + end-of-term social event