Republican Radicalism in the Age of Revolutions, 1789-1848
A new research cluster is being launched at the Saxo Institute: Radicality. At the inaugural seminar, the Radicality Cluster spring programme will be kicked off with an exciting presentation by postdoc Nicolai von Eggers (Saxo Institute, UCPH) on republican radicalism and the conceptual development of the term ‘radical’:
In 1846, the French republican socialist, Louis Blanc, stated that the movement to which he adhered had become known by a new name: radical instead of republican. Positively (self)identifying as a ‘radical’ in the 1840s marks the end of a long process through which the often-derogatory notion of ‘radical’ became tied specifically to republican and (proto-)communist positions. In his presentation, von Eggers discusses the shifting meanings and historical development of the term radical as well as its association with republicanism between 1789 and 1848. He also discusses the analytical uses of terms such as radical, radicalism, and radicalization for the study of political ideas and movements in the Age of Revolutions, focusing particularly on France and Denmark.
About
Nicolai von Eggers is a postdoc at the Saxo Institute. From the summer of 2025, he will be leading the Sapere Aude project: ‘The Republic of Newsletters: International Republicanism in the Making of Democratic Political Cultures, 1815-1840.’ Read more about the project.
About the Radicality Cluster
The nexus of the Radicality Cluster is a shared interest in ideas, processes, and movements across temporal and geographical contexts that have addressed the pressing issues of the day by seeking fundamental or radical change. The cluster brings together scholars at the Saxo Institute and elsewhere with an interest in the topic. The overall aim of the cluster is to create a cross-disciplinary forum for sharing and discussing conceptual and analytical approaches to the study of various forms of radicalism. This includes– but is not limited to – processes of religious and political radicalisation, the emergence and spread of radical ideas and ideologies, fundamentalism, radical movements, conspiracy theories as well as radical rejections of modern ways of life.
Spring programme
18 March Inaugural seminar with Nicolai von Eggers
24 April Lecture by Milan Obaibi on the social and psychological mechanisms of radicalization. Obaidi is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology, UCPH
27 May Book presentation: Regin Schmidt on his latest book Fascisme i USA (Frydenlund 2024).
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