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4 February 2011, IAS Seminar Room, Millburn House.

The first session, a panel discussion of the arguments relating to political economy in Steve Pincus’ 1688 – The First Modern Revolution began with an introduction to, and summary of, the book by Felicia Gottmann which lead into the debate. The ensuing discussion proved lively and interesting. Steve Pincus emphasised the importance of a rhetoric of modernity in the revolutionary discourse which expressed a strong self-consciousness about a break with the past, and in which the Dutch and the French served as contemporary shorthand for opposing cultural and economic models. Mark Knights pointed to the importance of varying definitions of the state, questioning how this mapped onto the Tory-Whig divisions, whilst some of the debate also focussed on the importance of interconfessional divisions and the intersections of religion and economy. Professor Pincus particularly opposed traditional accounts of the Revolution, Macaulay’s above all, which separate political and religious change from socio-economic developments, emphasising, with the general agreement of all attendees, the importance of political economy arguments in the lead-up to, and development, of the 1688 Revolution.

The second session broadened the focus of the discussions. The six invited speakers gave short presentations of their current research relating to the general theme of political economy, the state, and empire. The presentations were intended to stimulate further debate and succeeded admirably in this. Steve Pincus spoke about his current research on the origins of the British Empire, lead by the question why, after having fought land-based empire projects for 150 years, the English began to establish a huge empire in the 1750s. Will Pettigrew presented his theses as to why the British Royal African Company lost its monopoly in the 1690s, whilst the EIC did not. Pernille Røge spoke on her past research on French physiocratic political economy doctrines and their relationship to colonial policy and administration, which seamlessly lead her to comment on her current research on the Danish trade and Empire. Koji Yamamoto gave a presentation on the Early Modern notion of projecting and the projector and the problematic perception of these, whilst Perry Gauci outlined the current state of scholarship and the areas in need for more research. Will Ashworth gave an overview of his forthcoming book, Illiberalism and the Making of Industrial Britain, which seeks to re-emphasise the importance of the state in the process of Industrialisation. All of the papers proved stimulating to lively discussions, which continued long after the official end to the proceedings.