Ancient History as Political Theory

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Political theorists have long engaged with ancient history as a means of reimagining democratic possibilities for the present, most prominently through explorations of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War and by raising theoretical and practical questions about the Athenian democracy and the lived experience of its citizens. The goal of this panel is to interrogate the methodological assumptions that often underpin the appeal of ancient history for political theorists by bringing together scholars with a diverse range of disciplinary training and methodological approaches to the history of ancient political thought. Two papers, by Mark Fisher and Matthew Simonton, offer new perspectives on how to engage with the place of Athenian democracy within contemporary democratic discourse. Simonton shifts our focus away from the democratic Assembly to the way in which power was held by office-holding magistrates, and in doing so, suggests that such an alternative understanding of Athenian democracy can provide us with resources for imagining more radical democratic possibilities. Fisher interrogates and challenges ancient and contemporary notions of the “democratic advantage” by highlighting Thucydides’ account of the autocratic elements that contributed to Athenian power. Three papers, by Susan Collins, Seth Jaffe, and John Lombardini, look to the historiographical tradition beyond Athens. Collins emphasizes the longstanding and ongoing fascination with Sparta’s unique political regime and militaristic way of life, and the resonance these have with critiques of liberalism today. Jaffe explores the constitutional sources of Roman power, arguing that Polybius offers a powerful explanation of the interaction between foreign and domestic policy in strengthening (but also potentially weakening) the Roman mixed regime. Lombardini turns to early Chinese historiography as a resource for theorizing questions of interstate order, illustrating how a comparative approach can help us to uncover the methodological assumptions undergirding the use of ancient history as a mode of political theorizing. Together, these papers suggest the benefit of locating discussions of Athenian democracy (and their resonances for the present) within a fuller range of ancient texts, historiographical traditions, and material evidence.

Sub Unit

• Division 1: Political Thought and Philosophy

Individual Presentations

• Reinterpreting Democratic Advantage: Thucydides on Athenian Power - Mark Fisher, Georgetown University

• The Spartan Ideal in a Post-liberal Age - Susan D. Collins, University of Notre Dame

• Polybius, the Mixed Constitution, and Roman Conquest - Seth N. Jaffe, LUISS Guido Carli University

• The Zuozhuan as Political Theory - John T. Lombardini, College of William & Mary

• Ancient Athenian Office-Holding and Radical Republicanism - Matthew Simonton, Arizona State University

Chair

• Naomi T. Campa The University of Texas at Austin

Discussants

• Daniel J. Kapust University of Wisconsin, Madison

• Loubna El Amine King's College London