Crisis and Renewal in the History of European Political Thought

In this episode of New Work in Intellectual History, Professor László Kontler and Cesare Cuttica answer questions on their co-authored volume titled Crisis and Renewal in the History of European Political Thought (Brill,2021). Through a historical analysis we discover that after crises there is a time of change, recovery and ultimately, renewal. The essays confirm that a time of crises can often be considered as an opportunity for positive change.

From the book cover:
This volume explores the complex theme of crisis in European political thought from antiquity to the twenty-first century. It investigates the innovations in political thought that sprang from crisis, as well as the conceptual challenges thinkers faced when dealing with the devastation wrought by spiritual, economic and political crises. In so doing, Crisis and Renewal also examines the ways in which crisis often became the site of renewal. As an object of theoretical reflection, and as a pivotal element of our vocabulary, the notion of crisis is often applied, indiscriminately and without clarity, to a huge variety of domains. The volume provides a historically informed analysis of what it means to reflect on and theorise about crisis.