“Power on Trial”: Public Opinion and Political Legitimacy From the Enlightenment to the Napoleonic Era and its Modern Implications
International Colloquium on French History and Literature
The University of Chicago
April 14-15, 2023
From the Old Regime to Napoléon’s Empire, public opinion emerged and existed within the public sphere as a force of collective judgment. Embodying a popular response to a shifting political terrain, as analyzed by Keith Baker in Inventing the French Revolution (1990), its power, from the ephemeral force of rumors to a de facto power during the Revolution, upended traditional literary, political, and legal codes. As we understand the way in which the relationships between authoritative structures and its political subjects were challenged, the purpose of this colloquium is to interrogate the various ways in which the power of public opinion was created, transformed, and expressed in 18th and early 19th century France. Participants in this colloquium, to be held at the University of Chicago on April 14-15, 2023, are invited to explore not only the conditions that contributed to the transformations of public opinion through this period, but also the effects of these transformations on modes of expressions, whether they be in literature, pamphlets, medicine, politics, historiography, art, etc. Through this investigation, this colloquium hopes to broaden our perspectives of existing debates around the concept of public opinion in France. Scholars working in any discipline are welcome and encouraged to apply. Proposals should be between 350-500 words and should be submitted no later than February 15, 2023. Submissions and inquiries should be sent to Ryan Brown (rdbrown5@uchicago.edu) and Maximilien Novak (maxnovak@uchicago.edu).