Will and Reason: Negotiating the Medieval in Modern International Relations
This workshop will explore the medieval inheritance of modern international relations. In doing so, it seeks to problematise a historical periodisation, common among IR scholars, which makes a sharp distinction between medieval and modern. The workshop will bring together a multi-disciplinary group of scholars, drawn from international relations, theology, law, and history, to interrogate the ways in which medieval ideas have shaped and continue to shape how international relations is understood. An important aspect of this line of inquiry is to consider the extent to which the modern society of states is grounded in a common culture which is itself rooted in the Middle Ages. Funding for this project has been generously provided by the British International Studies Association and the Aberystwyth University Research Fund.