Upcoming conference

Memories of Empire: The imprint of the imperial past compared

Symposium, University of Sydney
4-5 December 2009


Throughout the world, problems arising from the imperial past continue to occupy centre stage in public debate and political controversy. The legacies of colonialism in metropolitan Europe – the connection between present-day problems and the imperial inheritance, and the need to come to terms with the memory of empire – are now major issues in the public forum as well as in academic circles. Whether it be debates about head scarves in French schools, an apology for slavery in Britain, the contested commemoration of imperial wars in Ireland, or the reconciliation process in South Africa and Australia, the memory of empire remains ever-present.

Download more information and conference program

Recent conferences in the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry

Indigenous versus European Property Claims, 1500-1900

20-21 August, 2009

Convener: Saliha Belmessous

Speakers:

R. Jovita Baber (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Saliha Belmessous (University of Sydney)
Lauren Benton (New York University)
Andrew Fitzmaurice (University of Sydn


How Free should Free Speech be? Philosophical Perspectives

Convenor: Duncan Ivison
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Refectory, Quadrangle Building, The University of Sydney
1:00pm to 5:00pm

  • Simone Chambers (Toronto)
    ‘Civility and Public Reason’
  • Philip Pettit (Princeton)
  • ‘Freedoms of Speech’
  • Jeremy Waldron (NYU)
    ‘What Should a Well-Ordered Society Look Like?’

with comments by Helen Irving (Sydney) and others.

The symposium was made possible through the generous support of Professors John and Christine Furedy, alumni of the University of Sydney.

More details about the symposium


Making Empire Visible in the Metropole

Making Empire Visible in the Metropole:
Comparative Imperial Transformations in America, Australia, England and France


In conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nation Empire Globe and SOPHI are hosting Making Empire Visible at the University of Sydney, Australia.
3-4 July 2008

How did the colonies influence things back in London and Paris? How is the view different - from the metropolitan epicentre and from the outposts of empire? How do our connections with Pacific Islands influence us in Sydney or Washington today? International experts will converge at Sydney to explore this fascinating subject.

For more information contact
Clare Corbould or
Warwick Anderson

Conference website