A REDIRECT event was held at the University of Exeter exploring the early modern formative period of representative democracy. The workshop, titled Representative Democracy: The Early Modern Formative Period, brought together scholars to examine the historical development of key concepts such as representation, the people, and democracy, and their significance for understanding the foundations of modern representative government.
The event featured three thematic sessions. Alan Cromartie (Reading) opened the workshop with a presentation on The Word “Represent”: 1300–1649, tracing the historical evolution of the concept of representation. James Harris (St Andrews) then spoke on The People and the Multitude: Pufendorf and Locke in Reply to Hobbes, focusing on early modern understandings of political community. In the final session, Cesare Cuttica and Markku Peltonen (Helsinki) examined early modern democracy from different perspectives, with presentations titled Studying Early Modern Democracy: Questions and (a Few) Answers and Early Modern Democracy: Three Approaches. The discussion as a whole reflected on the intellectual roots of representative democracy and their relevance for contemporary debates on political representation.
The workshop provided a valuable forum for scholarly exchange within the REDIRECT network on the historical and conceptual foundations of democratic representation.
Date: 7 February 2024
Location: Exeter, United Kingdom
Partner: University of Exeter (UNEXE)
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