@camilavergara
Senior Lecturer, University of Essex Plebeian philosophy & praxis, deliberative democracy, intellectual history, critical legal studies, political economy. Publications: https://camilavergara.academia.edu/
Indeed!
The chapter highlights instances in which ‘the people’ constituted itself as a political actor through the establishment of new organs and institutions ‘from below’ and argues for the radical reinterpretation of the theory and practice of constituent power from the perspective of ‘the people.’
This abstraction obscured the material agent of constituent power and the elitist ideological underpinnings of the constituent power tradition.
This serial contextual history shows that while, in the ancient world, ‘the people’ was defined by class, in modernity ‘the people’ increasingly became equated to the nation, a political unity that could only act by proxy.
I offer a brief material intellectual history of ‘the people’ as bearer of constituent power, embedded in specific socio-political arrangements in the ancient world, republican Florence, 17c England, the French Revolution, early 20c Germany & 21c century Latin America.
The analysis reveals how the meaning of 'the people' has shifted from class-based definitions in the ancient world to a more abstract notion tied to the nation in modernity. This reinterpretation challenges the role of 'the people' in constituent power, democracy and populism.
I have a new chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Constituent Power, edited by Peter Niesen, Markus Patberg & Lucia Rubinelli, in which I explore the evolving concept of 'the people' as the bearer of constituent power across various historical contexts.
Open access
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academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Excellent essay on economic republicanism by @seanirving.bsky.social in @aeon.co. I learned loads from it and it made me want to read more! Lots of threads for future research.
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aeon.co/essays/the-w...
Freedom to the political prisoners.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
Elbit Systems UK, which makes 85% of Israel’s land-based equipment and killer drone fleet, recently lost a £2 billion government contract to train British troops due to protests.
Starmer’s government can still appeal the decision and there are still five imprisoned activists in hunger strike.
The ruling comes after more than 2,787 people were arrested for supporting the group—many holding signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”—and follows a major campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience.
Good news for freedom of speech in the UK: High Court ruled that the government’s decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful and disproportionate.
This is pretty much the American attitude towards immigration in a nutshell.
www.mediaite.com/media/news/i...
The President says the officer has “full immunity” from this crime. The consequence is the legitimation of arbitrary detentions and killings. This is part of the totalitarian phase of oligarchic democracy in the US, in which ICE is the paramilitary force enforcing terror.
Against police training, the officer put himself in front of the car instead of moving away, and fired his weapon without being in actual danger. An officer cannot legitimately shoot to kill if someone tries to escape a minor violation like blocking traffic.
It looks premeditated: she didn’t pose any threat —just blocking traffic and honking— and the officer began filming with his phone (not his bodycam), which then he switches to his other hand to reach for his gun, while continuing to record, making it appear that he was hit.
Renee Good, a US citizen, was murdered by an ICE agent—it appears premeditated. Watch the analysis to see all the video evidence and how a narrative of impunity is being crafted based on a video recorded by the officer on his cellphone.
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www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
Consider sending a proposal for this exciting conference on emerging technologies, conflict, and peace.
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Deadline for submitting an abstract to the Venice Republicanism conferences has been extended to January 15th. This is a very collegial and experimental gathering. Please consider applying and spread the word.
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Conversé con Javier Pineda en el podcast de El Ciudadano sobre el populismo, la democracia plebeya y la producción cooperativista.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqve...
Daré una charla sobre la ‘expropiación sin compensación’ —desde la lex agraria en Roma y la nacionalización del cobre en Chile, hasta la ley de reforma agraria impulsada por EEF en Sudáfrica— en la Universidad Diego Portales en Santiago.
17 de diciembre
14:30 horas
La charla es abierta al público.
CFP: 5th Venice Multidisciplinary World Conference on Republics and Republicanism. June 26-28, 2026. Venice International University.
The conference is open to all work on republicanism, but with special focus on 'Power, Freedom and Oligarchy'.
Deadline: December 30
www.univiu.org/campus-servi...
CFP: Order and Disorder in Global Intellectual History
There are a few travel bursaries for those who need it.
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fass.sabanciuniv.edu/tr/ISIH
Very close! Cover painting: Guillaume Lethière, "Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death" 1788
Join us next Friday 21 for a roundtable on John McCormick's excellent new book The People's Princes at King's College London w/ comments by David Wootton (York), Lawrence Hamilton (Cambridge) & myself. There will be wine & great conversation on leadership & politics
Register here
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shorturl.at/XmAsZ
Great to be joined today by @camilavergara.bsky.social at the University of Glasgow to discuss 'Systemic Corruption, Oligarchy and Plebeian Democracy'
Theorising from the Plains w/ @camilavergara.bsky.social
2) 'Free Labour, Forced Labour, and Independent Contractors', as part of the conference 'Interrogating the Post-Neoliberal Moment in Labour Law', organised by Julieta Lobato at the School of Law, University of Glasgow.
This week I will give 2 talks at University of Glasgow:
1) Systemic Corruption, Oligarchy and Plebeian Democracy, organised by the People’s Health Movement Scotland, SANE Collective & the schools of Social & Political Sciences and Health & Wellbeing.
shorturl.at/Bc9L1
