The American University of Paris - Miscellaneous

Study Creative Writing in Paris this Summer

Lisa Palazzolo — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:43:31 +0000

Immerse yourself in the art of writing at AUP’s Summer Creative Writing Institute. Choose from workshops in Poetry, Fiction, or Creative Nonfiction, where you’ll refine your craft, develop a critical eye, and explore the nuances of storytelling. With Paris as your backdrop—from historic literary cafes to the poetic Seine—you’ll find endless inspiration. Join weekly sessions to connect with fellow writers, hear from renowned authors, and engage in lively discussions. Whether you’re honing your skills or starting fresh, this is your opportunity to grow as a writer in a city that has inspired legends.

Travel Stipends Available

About The American University of Paris

Established as a liberal arts college in 1962, The American University of Paris is an urban, independent, international university located at the meeting point of France, Europe and the world. The University provides an academic learning experience that places your personal, intellectual and professional development at its core. Our curriculum combines liberal arts inquiry, preparation for professional life and student-centered, active learning in small classrooms. Located in the center of Paris, 91�Թ��is perfectly situated to help you embark upon your journey of discovery.

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Study Arts, Fashion and Media Studies in Paris this Summer

Lisa Palazzolo — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:04:14 +0000

Where better to study arts and culture than Paris? At 91�Թ��Summer School, we offer courses in Fine Arts, Art History, Fashion Studies, and Media Studies during our 3-week and 6-week sessions in June and July. Expert 91�Թ��faculty members blend theory and practice, offering hands-on experiences and insights into the cultural and historical contexts that shape creative expression. Whether honing your craft or deepening your understanding of the arts, 91�Թ��Summer School provides the perfect environment to inspire and elevate your passions.

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About The American University of Paris

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Study in Paris this Summer

Lisa Palazzolo — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:14:43 +0000

Interested in exploring Paris this summer while expanding your horizons? 91�Թ��Summer School courses are perfect for independent adult learners. Our program lets you audit courses in French, Fashion Studies, Art History, Media Studies, and more. Immerse yourself in dynamic 3- or 6-week classes taught by expert faculty. Located in the heart of Paris, 91�Թ��provides lifelong learners the unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge while soaking up the city’s rich culture and history.

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About The American University of Paris

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Financing Transformation

Sara Wynn — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 15:13:39 +0000

Photo credit: Violetta Markelou

Today, Lebec harnesses this same courage and intercultural competence to drive change worldwide as a visionary entrepreneur and finance executive passionate about creating real value. Her latest venture, the advisory firm LEBEC, brings financial and philanthropic innovation to the mainstream and helps grow companies focused on climate resilience and economic equity. This work reflects Lebec’s and the LEBEC team’s creative, compassionate approach to building innovative global solutions.

Lebec’s international perspective began early, as her German mother and French father moved the family from France to South Korea for business. Attending British and American schools in South Korea and China and traveling widely, she noticed cultural contrasts among Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, as well as stark resource disparities. “I saw communities deprived of infrastructure; I remember driving through Hanoi, where there were houses with no roofs and broken water pipes.”

After high school in Beijing and Dallas and starting college at the University of Georgia, Lebec moved to Paris to attend AUP—a welcome homecoming. “I felt lost from an identity perspective. Studying finance, economics, French cinema and dance in my home city helped me find myself.”

Lebec identifies as equal parts business executive and creative, and both sides flourished in Paris. “The arts anchor a sense of self and empathy,” she says. Dance—particularly hip-hop and house music—remains a vital outlet. “It fuels everything I want to do as an entrepreneur.”

Lebec’s instincts for finance, business development, problem solving and value creation surfaced quickly in her first job at a Paris documentary firm focused on sustainable development. She explored how to “help the firm unlock more capital for their efforts—not having any idea what that meant.” She also met a documentary film producer working on a film focused on the Darfur conflict, which broadened her understanding of international aid and development in Africa.

Lebec then joined the World Bank where she led communications, education, and community engagement programs with local communities in Southeast Asia, focusing on those often excluded from decision-making in development. Here, Lebec had a flash of insight: “I was 26 in an air-conditioned Jeep in my suit, thinking, why am I going to visit a community and telling them how to live their lives? I’m a privileged French woman. I don’t know if this is the transformational change I believe in.”

Driven to find better solutions, Lebec studied water crises, microfinance, and corporate sustainability at the London School of Economics. She then joined the Clinton Global Initiative and later Water.org, where she worked closely with co-founders Matt Damon and CEO Gary White, and a global leadership team, to demonstrate how microfinance and investing in women could accelerate solutions to the global water crisis. Lebec was instrumental in building the business case, mobilizing $200 million in philanthropy, and unlocking $5 billion in commercial capital for water and sanitation.

Photo 1 | The LEBEC team; Hector Mujica, Head of Economic Opportunities, Google.org; and Stacey Boyd, Founder and CEO, Olivela visiting Sentebale’s programs in Southern Africa. Co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, Sentebale is a growing social enterprise providing access to critical health services, and education and entrepreneurship opportunities to underserved youth in Southern Africa. Through deep collaboration with government and local communities, Sentebale is enhancing health, wealth creation, and climate resilience in the region. Photocredit: Brian Otieno, Storitellah

Photo 2 | Alix Lebec, Founder & CEO, LEBEC; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Co-founding Patron of Sentebale; and Dr. Sophie Chandauka, Chair of Sentebale and Chair and Co-Founder, Nandi Life Sciences. Sentebale and LEBEC hosted a “Potential is Waiting” panel and reception focused on redefining philanthropy to better support youth across Africa, Latin America, and the U.S.

Photo 3 | Water.org and WaterEquity team in Cambodia visiting programs.

Building on this progress, Lebec again joined forces with Gary White and Matt Damon to launch WaterEquity, one of the first asset managers focused on women and water, with the aim to prove that water is an investable asset class. As a founding team member and Chief Investor Relations Officer—or “Chief Rejection Officer,” as she jokingly called herself—Lebec overcame skepticism from investors, including private equity firms, financial institutions, and corporations. She and the team mobilized more than $200 million in blended capital from investors including the IKEA Foundation, Skoll Foundation, the International Development Finance Corporation, and Bank of America.

Seeing the potential of financial innovation in fueling a global entrepreneurship ecosystem, Lebec felt inspired to bring these insights to the mainstream. In 2020, she founded LEBEC, a women-owned-and-led advisory firm that supports visionary founders, funders, and investors to maximize value for underserved populations.

Photo 1| Alix Lebec, Founder & CEO of LEBEC, and Matt Damon, Actor, Screenwriter, Producer, and Co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity at LEBEC’s “Invest in Women, Water, and Climate” panel and event in NYC during Climate Week 2024. Alongside VoLo Foundation, the Marks Family Foundation, CLEO Institute, and Water.org and WaterEquity, Alix, the LEBEC team, and 60 philanthropists and investors unpacked how innovative finance can accelerate progress towards the global water and climate crisis, and how women are a key piece of the solution. Photocredit: Sophie Sahara

Throughout her career, Lebec has thrived on “building things that matter and stepping into spaces where you have to figure it out.” She believes that entrepreneurship and finance have the power to reshape the economy. “The greatest entrepreneurs are driven by solving a problem and being creative thinkers,” she says. “The more we fuel them with the financing that helps bring those ideas to life, the better.”

Reflecting on her 91�Թ��education and looking to the future, Lebec is encouraged by the next generation of entrepreneurs and excited by what current 91�Թ��students might bring to the table. “91�Թ��is a critical, global ecosystem of phenomenal thinkers and doers who can be part of this change,” she says. “It represents the young minds we want to shape around this kind of thinking. We're building a world that we believe in.”

Social entrepreneur Alix Lebec ’02 is building solutions to global challenges by scaling innovative finance and philanthropy through her advisory firm, LEBEC.

Alumna

Miscellaneous

Entrepreneur Alix Lebec ’02 is Scaling Solutions

Visiting Scholars

Sara Wynn — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:28:34 +0000

Senior and junior researchers interested in applying to be a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Critical Democracy Studies are welcome to submit their applications at any time.

All scholars are expected to fund their stay at their own expense or based on third-party financing. Scholars have access to CCDS resources (library privileges, participating in CCDS seminars, and attending 91�Թ��events). During their stay, visiting scholars are encouraged to present their research, organize academic events, and actively seek to collaborate with CCDS members and the 91�Թ��community.

Applications should be sent to ccdsaup.edu and accompanied by the following:

CV
List of selected publications (if applicable)
Duration of stay and dates for the proposed work at the CCDS (minimum 3 months prior to the scholar's proposed arrival date)
Brief description of the proposed research project
Potential collaborations at the CCDS and/or at AUP
Brief information about the form of financing (self-financed or financed by a third party)
For PhD candidates, a recommendation letter of reference containing details about the applicant’s research project.

Decisions for acceptance will be made on a rolling basis.

Boris Pavlov ’10 Transforms Travel

Sara Wynn — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 10:53:42 +0000

Pavlov enjoying an Eiffel Tower view.

In his home country of Bulgaria, Pavlov obtained a double American/Bulgarian high school diploma from the American College of Sofia. Tempted by the challenge of living in a place where he did not speak the language, Pavlov applied to 91�Թ��and moved to Paris sight unseen. "Going to 91�Թ��was by far one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life," he says. While double majoring in international economics and applied international finance, Pavlov built close friendships with students from around the world, forging a global network that would become central to his life and career. “You can make friends and connections in a lot of places. But that deep cultural understanding and awareness—I don't think you can get it from many other universities,” he says. “91�Թ��taught me that it doesn’t matter where a person comes from—it’s about who they’ve grown to be.” Pavlov also served as captain of AUP’s competitive volleyball team, and would later return as a volunteer coach, leading the team to international tournaments.

After AUP, Pavlov embarked on a kaleidoscope of global educational and professional pursuits. He moved to Nice where he continued his finance studies with a master’s degree from EDHEC Business School before taking a position at Société Générale. Next, he transferred to New York City and spent two years on the trading floor before heading to London. Along the way, he earned a law degree, furthering a long-standing interest in politics. Eventually, restless in the finance sector and curious about entrepreneurship, Pavlov quit his job and returned to Bulgaria to start his own venture.

The transition sparked his first idea for a business opportunity. Though he had moved to Bulgaria, he was still tied to a costly long-term lease on his London apartment. A property manager took it over and rented the flat out on Airbnb. Observing the lack of similar services in Bulgaria, Pavlov launched Flat Manager as a one-man operation, handling everything from the website and branding to the cleaning and key exchanges. “It was super tough because it's a 24/7 business,” he says.

Over time, he built a team, retaining employees through COVID and expanding into Bucharest. With an angel investor—a friend from AUP—Flat Manager grew to handle 600 properties across Bulgaria and Romania. Pavlov recently sold the company to one of Europe’s largest private equity firms, marking the first acquisition of a property tech startup from Bulgaria.

Pavlov’s enterprising mindset also extends to public service. In 2022, when Russia’s invasion sent Ukrainians fleeing into Bulgaria, Pavlov paused his own work for three months and partnered with the Bulgarian government and volunteer IT professionals to swiftly build an online resource platform for refugees. The site provided vital information on accommodation, jobs, paperwork, and social and children’s services. The team also set up a three-language call center in a matter of ten days. Bulgaria was one of the first countries to offer this kind of support, and to date, hundreds of thousands of refugees have accessed the program. For Pavlov, this was not just another project. “You're not building a business here… you’re building something that helps people, and they need it yesterday.”

Now, Pavlov has his sights set on disrupting the $100 billion-and-growing travel industry, which he sees as ripe for change. Launching in October 2024, Flataway is an international booking platform that stands apart from major OTAs like Airbnb by adopting a decentralized model, allowing property managers to maintain direct relationships with guests, fostering loyalty and repeat business. Unlike Airbnb, Flataway enables property managers to earn commissions when travelers book through the platform and features only high-quality, professionally managed properties at lower, discounted rates. Additionally, Flataway will reinvest part of its revenue into community initiatives, adding a social impact dimension to the business.

Pavlov describes Flataway as “the dream.” He shares, “I’ve always believed in aiming not just higher—but the highest.” As AI reshapes the travel industry, Pavlov is ever more eager to keep innovating. His approach to personal travel is equally enterprising and spontaneous. He once took a trip from New York to Singapore that ended up including unplanned stopovers in Bali and Dubai before heading home. For Pavlov, travel goes beyond business; it is an essential part of living. “We will never lose the need for travel and to discover new things,” he insists, citing the adage that travel is the only thing you pay for that makes you wealthier—and standing by it.

Boris Pavlov ’10, former investment banker turned entrepreneur, is transforming the travel industry with his innovative vacation rental platform, Flataway.

Alumnus

Miscellaneous

Fellows’ Publications

Sara Wynn — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:45:41 +0000

2025

2024

Nancy Fraser and Politics (Edinburgh University Press)

Marjan Ivković, Zona Zarić

The first-ever monograph dedicated to the work of renowned critical theorist Nancy Fraser, authored by Zona Zarić and Marjan Ivković (Edinburgh University Press) will be hot off the press this December 2024 and is already available for pre-order with a launch discount code NEW30 for 30% off. This comprehensive study systematically reconstructs Fraser’s influential contributions to critical theory, Marxism, and socialist feminism, offering an in-depth analysis of her theories on social justice, recognition, and redistribution. The book delves into Fraser’s critical engagement with contemporary political challenges, providing a vital resource for scholars and students interested in understanding her impact on the future directions of critical theory.

Articles

Colin-Jaeger, Nathanaël. 2024. “Diviser pour mieux gouverner : en défense des fédérations polycentriques”, Revue Philosophique de la France et de l’Etranger (à paraître).

Colin-Jaeger, Nathanaël. 2024. “Can We Design Spontaneity?”, Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics , 17(1): 66-88.

Colin-Jaeger, Nathanaël. 2024. “La nature de la Fédération : ontologie et caractéristiques normatives”, Implications Philosophiques.

Culp, Julian. 2024. “Morally philosophizing the indefensible or politically theorizing the disagreeable?” Ethics & Global Politics, 17/4, 16–24.

Culp, Julian. 2024. “Deweyan Democracy and Education in a 'Society of Broadcasters',” in Festl, Michael (ed.), John Dewey and Contemporary Challenges to Democracy and Education, 87-104.

Culp, Julian. 2024. “The Global Crisis and the Psychological Feasibility of Internationalism,” Social Philosophy and Policy40/2, 372-86.

Culp, Julian. 2024. “Global Justice Must Be Seen To Be Done—A Defense of Integrated Pluralism,” Journal of International Political Theory.

Spieler, Miranda. 2024. “Ourika and the Chevalier de Boufflers.” In French Revolutionary Lives. Edited by David Bell and Colin Jones, 29-47. War Culture and Society. Series editor Rafe Blaufarb et al. Palgrave MacMillan.

Zarić, Zona. 2024. “The Rapeability and Takeability of Bodies and Lands”. In: Contours of Change, ed. Sanja Bojanić and Valeria Graziano. 176–189. Rijeka: CAS SEE University of Rijeka.

Zarić, Zona. 2024. “Pour une praxis de la compassion”. Multitude 96: 100–105.

Zinigrad, Roman. 2024. “Laughing Matters in Courts: Humor and the Normalization of Hate Speech”. Alternatives 2024. doi.org/10.1177/03043754241244891.

Reviews

Culp, Julian. 2024. “Craig Calhoun, Dilip Parameshwar Gaonkar, and Charles Taylor. Degenerations of Democracy (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2022),” Constellations 31/1, 124-6.

Culp, Julian. 2024. “Markus Tiedemann, Post-Aufklärungsgesellschaft – Was wir verlieren und was uns bevorsteht (Leiden/Paderborn: Brill/mentis, 2023),” Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Philosophie und Ethik 46/1, 123-4.

Spieler, Miranda. 2024. Review of Edenz Maurice, La Guyane: la promesse républicaine: faire France outre-mer 1920-1980 (2022), submitted May 2024, forthcoming H-France.

Blogs

Zinigrad. Roman. 2024. “How Social Media Amplifies Support for the Far Right in France”. LSE EUROPP (Sep. 2, 2024).

2023

Articles

Colin-Jaeger, Nathanaël. 2023. “Raison publique, libéralisme, pluralisme et complexité : la contribution de Gerald Gaus à la philosophie politique”, Raisons Politiques, 92(4): 85-94.

Culp, Julian, and Johannes Drerup. 2023. “Equality of Educational Opportunity,” in Sardoč, Mitja (ed.), Handbook of Equality of Opportunity. Berlin: Springer, 1-25.

Culp, Julian. 2023. “Ethics of Education,” in Sellers, Mortimer, and Stephan Kirste (eds.), Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Berlin: Springer, 1-7.

Culp, Julian. 2023. “Demokratie,” in Frühbauer, Johannes, Michael Reder, Michael Roseneck und Thomas Schmidt (eds.), Rawls-Handbuch. Stuttgart: Metzler, 213–217.

Culp, Julian. 2023. “Thomas Pogge,” in Frühbauer, Johannes, Michael Reder, Michael Roseneck und Thomas Schmidt (eds.), Rawls-Handbuch. Stuttgart: Metzler, 497-503.

Culp, Julian. 2023. “Democratic Citizenship Education in Digitized Societies – A Habermasean Approach,” Educational Theory 73/2, 178-203.

Hristov. George, Adriana Zaharijević and Zona Zarić. 2023. “Critique of the Master-Slave Dialectic” [Gospodari i robovi: kritika zasnovana na klasi, rasi i rodu]. In: Manuel of Critique [Priručnik kritike], ed. Marjan Ivković and Željko Radinković. 263–294. Belgrade: Akademska knjiga.

Mladenović, Ivica, Dušanka Milosvaljević and Zona Zarić. 2023. “Critical sociology” [Kritička sociologija]. In: Manuel of Critique [Priručnik kritike], ed. Marjan Ivković and Željko Radinković. 465–494. Belgrade: Akademska knjiga. November 2023

Novak, William J. and Stephen W. Sawyer. 2023. “Une Histoire Pragmatique du Politique” [Possibilities for a Pragmatic History of the Political]. Histoire @ Politique 51: 184-193. doi: https://doi.org/10.4000/histoirepolitique.15568.

Ron, Ariel, and Sofia Valeonti. 2023. “The Money War: An Interpretation of Democracy, Depreciation, and Taxes in the U.S. Civil War.” Cambridge Journal of Economics 47 (2): 263-268. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bead006.

Spieler, Miranda. 2023. “L’Enlèvement des esclaves de Paris des Lumières.” In Colonisations: notre histoire, 120-122. Paris: Seuil.

Spieler, Miranda. 2023. Review of Cecile Vidal, Caribbean New Orleans, in Annales: Histoire, Sciences Sociales 4: 828-831.

Spieler, Miranda. 2023. Forum comment on David Todd, Velvet Empire (2022), H-Diplo Roundtable.

Zinigrad, Roman and Stephen W. Sawyer. 2023. “State and Religion: The French Response to Jihadist Violence”. 14(8) Religions 1010. doi.org/10.3390/rel14081010.

Zinigrad, Roman. 2023. “Commentary on the Abidjan Principles: Obligations to Respect, Protect, and Fulfil the Right to Education in the Context of Private Involvement”. Oxford Hum. Rights Hub J. 2023.

Reports

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2023. Mainstreaming, Gender, and Communication in France. The American University of Paris. D.Rad. pp.95. halshs-04471793.

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2023. Civic Education Programs as Preventive Measures in France. The American University of Paris. D.Rad. pp.22. halshs-04471801.

Reviews

Culp, Julian. 2023. “Krassimir Stojanov, Bildung gegen Populismus? Über antidemokratische Halbbildung und ihre Alternativen (Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2022),” Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Philosophie und Ethik 45/4, 117.

Blogs

Zinigrad, Roman. 2024. “The False Hope of Israel’s Protestors: Why The Supreme Court Is Not (And Never Was) The Last Bastion of Democracy”. VerfBlog (08.09.2023).

2022

Articles

Culp, Julian. 2022. “Symposium on Peter Hägel's Billionaires in World Politics,” The Journal of Global Ethics, 18/2.

Culp, Julian. 2022. “Global Democratic Educational Justice,” in Curren, Randall (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Education. London: Routledge, 245-56.

Culp, Julian. 2022. “Four Challenges to Political Autonomy Education in Contemporary Public Spheres,” On Education. Journal for Research and Debate 5 (14).

Culp, Julian. 2022. “Does Democratic Citizenship Education Engineer Consent to Political Authority?” in Luppi, Roberto (ed.), Autorità e democrazia. Educare al pluralismo nel XXI secolo.Rome: Armando Editore, 163-176.

Culp, Julian. 2022. “Zur postkolonialen Kritik globaler demokratischer Bildungsgerechtigkeit,” in Drerup, Johannes und Philipp Knobloch (eds.), Bildung in postkolonialen Konstellationen. Bielefeld: transcript, 235-260.

Dimand, Robert, and Sofia Valeonti. 2022. “Irving Fisher, Simon Newcomb, and Their Plans to Stabilize the Dollar.” The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought 29 (6): 1052-1065. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672567.2022.2137550”.

Sawyer. Stephen W. 2022. “Deglobalizing the Global History of Europe,” Annales Histoire et Sciences Sociales, 1-11, doi:10.1017/ahsse.2022.10.

Sawyer. Stephen W., and William J. Novak. 2022. “Of Rights and Regulation: Technologies of Socio-economic Governance in a Revolutionary Age” in Social Rights and the Politics of Obligation in History, Charles Walton and Steven Jensen, eds. (Cambridge University Press).

Spieler, Miranda. 2022. « Viande de barbecue » dans L’Épicerie du monde. Edited by Pierre Singravélou, 17-21. Paris: Fayard.

Valeonti, Sofia. 2022. “Henry C. Carey’s Monetary Thought and American Industrialization in the Greenbacks Debate.” History of Political Economy 54 (2): 186-216. https://doi.org/10.1215/00182702-9699025.

Reports

Culp, Julian. 2022. Demokratie und Digitalisierung in der Erwachsenenbildung. Vienna: Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF).

Blogs

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2022. “Radicalizing Law to Deradicalize Society: The French Legislative Arsenal of Deradicalization and the Threat to Human Rights”. D.Rad Blog.

2021

Articles

Culp, Julian. 2021. “John Rawls,” in Festl, Michael G. (ed.), Liberalismus Handbuch. Stuttgart: Metzler, 149-156.

Culp, Julian. 2021. “Martha Nussbaum,” in Festl, Michael G. (ed.), Liberalismus Handbuch. Stuttgart: Metzler, 165-171.

Culp, Julian. 2021. “Supranationalität,” in Festl, Michael G. (ed.), Liberalismus Handbuch. Stuttgart: Metzler, 263-268.

Culp, Julian, and Johannes Drerup. 2021 “Demokratieerziehung und die Herausforderungen des Liberalismus,” Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Ausgabe 4. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa.

Culp, Julian. 2021. “Schulische Demokratieerziehung und die Krise der repräsentativen Demokratie,” Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 2021/4. Wertheim: Beltz Juventa, 528-542.

Delalande, Nicolas, and Stephen W. Sawyer. 2021. “La fabrique transnationale de l’État. Nouveaux regards sur une exception française”. D’ici et d’ailleurs. Histoires globales de la France contemporaine, Quentin Deluermoz, ed. (Paris: La Découverte).

Ducange, Jean-Numa, Silyane Larcher et Stephen W. Sawyer. 2021. “La République multiple. Une histoire transnationale et globale”. D’ici et d’ailleurs. Histoires globales de la France contemporaine, Quentin Deluermoz, ed. (Paris: La Découverte).

Sawyer, Stephen W. 2021. « Un procès en légitimité. Adolphe Thiers, la Commune et les fondements démocratiques de la République ». Revue d’histoire du XIXe siècle. 63 : 39-56.

Sawyer, Stephen W. 2021. “From Histories of Liberalism to a History of the Demos: Toward a Democratic Critique of Neoliberalism,” Consecutio Rerum, Anno 5, no 9.

Sawyer, Stephen W. 2021. “‘Paris Broken, but Paris Liberated’? The State, City Administration and Scales of Reconstruction in Post-War Paris, 1944-1976,” Cold War Cities, Tze-ki Hon, ed. (Routledge).

Spieler, Miranda, 2021. « Être esclave dans une capitale impériale: Paris XVIIIe siècle » dans Histoire mondiale de l’esclavage. Edited by Paulin Ismard, Benedetta Rossi, and Cécile Vidal, 245-252. Paris : Seuil.

Spieler, Miranda, 2021. “Peasant Resistance in Postrevolutionary Haiti.” Reviews in American History. 49(3): 413-421.

Zinigrad, Roman. 2021. “Parental Rights in Education under International Law: Nature and Scope” in Realizing the Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education: Human Rights, Public Education, and the Role of Private Actors in Education 79-103 (F. Adamson et al. eds., Elgar Publishing, 2021).

Reports

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2021. De-radicalisation and Integration in France: Legal & Policy Framework. The American University of Paris. D.Rad. pp.81. halshs-04471780.

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2021. Trends of Radicalisation in France. The American University of Paris, D.Rad. pp.64. halshs-04471773.

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2021. Cultural Drivers of Radicalisation in France. The American University of Paris. D.Rad. pp.71. halshs-04471785.

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2021. Stakeholders of (De)-Radicalisation in France. American University of Paris. D.Rad. pp.62. halshs-04471763.

Reviews

Spieler, Miranda, 2021. Review of Sophie White, Voices of the Enslaved: Love, Labor, and Longing in French Louisiana (2019), in Slavery and Abolition. 42(3): 653-654.

Spieler, Miranda, 2021. Review of Brandon Byrd, The Black Republic: African Americans and the fate of Haiti (2019), in Slavery and Abolition, 42(2): 415-417.

Blogs

Culp, Julian. 2021. “Licht und Schatten John Rawls’ politischer Philosophie,” praefaktisch-Blog, February 28.

Sawyer, Stephen W., and Roman Zinigrad. 2021. The Democratic Promise of “Deradicalization”. Tocqueville21 (02.06.2021).

Critical Theory 101: Future Directions and New Challenges

Sara Wynn — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:38:55 +0000

The seminar series Critical Theory 101: Future Directions and New Challenges, co-organized by The American University of Paris and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, seeks to explore the evolving landscape of critical theory as it enters its second century. Launched with a keynote by Axel Honneth on June 13, 2024, the series will continue with a session featuring Nancy Fraser on November 4, 2024, and conclude with Rahel Jaeggi in February 2025. Bringing together the most prominent voices in contemporary thought, the seminars will address emerging challenges and map out new directions for critical theory, reflecting on its capacity to engage with current social and political transformations while rethinking its foundational principles for the future.

Renewing the Social Contract: Call for Papers

Sara Wynn — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:41:23 +0000

Renewing the Social Contract:
The Challenge of Inclusivity and Democratic Government in Social Contract Theory

Renouveler le contrat social
Le défi de l'inclusion et du gouvernement démocratique dans la théorie du contrat social

International Conference

Center for Critical Democracy Studies, The American University of Paris

December 18-19, 2024

Keynote Speakers:

Myriam Hunter-Henin, Professor of Comparative Law and Law & Religion, UCL Faculty of Laws

Albert Weale, Professor of Political Theory and Public Policy, UCL Department of Political Science

Call for Papers

Social contract approaches seek to explain the origins of political obligations but are also recognized as tools of social change. Social contract theory “provides a test for distinguishing what is fair from what is oppressive, for distinguishing choice from subordination, and for exposing adaptive/deformed preferences […] and also as a practical tool to spur individual and social action” (Walsh). In the face of classic social contract philosophers, who maintained that normative legitimacy may be grounded in hypothetical agreement, recent accusations of exclusivity and anthropocentrism have challenged contract theories’ relevance. And yet, in spite of these challenges, contract theories have experienced a resurgence. According to Albert Weale, these revised theories use new approaches to the concepts of diversity and power dynamics and novel interpretations of justificatory frameworks.

First, critiques by scholars like Mill and Pateman highlight how the logic of the social contract may reflect systems of racial or gender domination. Are such ill-conceived social contracts that perpetuate inherent bias redeemable? Secondly, even democratic regimes are increasingly threatened by political stratification, alienation of minorities, and crises of trust in government institutions. Can social contract theories cope with social polarization and radical disagreement? Can they accommodate partial or complete renegotiation? Finally, growing acknowledgment of transnational and global problems such as the environmental crisis is transforming the landscape of political discourse and bringing new emphasis on the role of administrative intervention and regulatory power to preserve democracy. Can new obligations and regulatory frameworks be incorporated into the social contract framework? These issues have brought forward a series of multifaced challenges and pushed many to reconsider (and even propose to jettison) the idea of the social contract.

This conference seeks to engage with this second wave of theories and reflect on the challenges of inclusivity and democratic government within contract theory from an interdisciplinary perspective. How should contract theory be amended in the context of contemporary transformations of democracy? How can we develop alternative theories considering the need for gradual transformation to consider contestation? How can social contracts be thought of as resilient?

The Center for Critical Democracy Studies at the American University of Paris invites researchers in the fields of political theory, philosophy, law, history, economy, and other social sciences to submit abstracts on the theme of the conference conceived broadly.

La Parisienne: Stéphanie Buisson and Team Lead 91�Թ��Faculty and Staff in Charity Run

Sara Wynn — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:32:45 +0000

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Human Resources led 91�Թ��staff and faculty to run La Parisienne, promoting wellbeing and supporting breast cancer research.

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For Breast Cancer Awareness Month (or “octobre rose,” as it’s known in France), 91�Թ��Director of Human Resources, Stephanie Buisson, and her team put together a new initiative aimed at connecting community members and supporting wellbeing activities and practices on campus. Together with colleagues from across the University, Buission ran La Parisienne, an annual all female race with proceeds going to breast cancer research.

Buisson, a regular runner herself, and HR Administrative Executive Assistant, Sophia Stéphany, are always looking for ways to improve the wellbeing of faculty and staff. When Buisson suggested launching an institution challenge to get a group to run La Parisienne, the whole team mobilized to bring on board 30 women—15 walkers and 15 runners—among faculty and staff to participate in the 7-kilometer race. The initiative was announced on March 8, International Women’s Day, to bring women across 91�Թ��together to get active for a good cause—and they made it happen.

Buisson and Stéphany decided that the University would sponsor all runners and would host a post-run brunch for participants and their friends and family at the AMEX Café. Race registration included the usual t-shirt and the possibility of partaking in three days of fitness classes, dance activities and concerts associated with the race. In addition, the Office of Human Resources sought to provide a unique accessory for the team of women, turning to Sara Wynn in the Office of Communications (MA in Global Communications ’22) who designed sky blue 91�Թ��caps for everyone, which helped the team of women recognize each other in the crowd.

“The theme was flower power—some of us had flowers in our hair—and there was music everywhere. It was so festive and fun—there couldn’t have been better energy all day! And the brunch was so cozy. It was a great experience we will repeat next year,” explained Stéphany.

In addition to being fun, festive and for a worthy cause, Stéphany adds that the race was an opportunity for staff and faculty to get to know each other across department lines. “Interacting with people—outside the office—who you don’t normally work with or even necessarily know because your job responsibilities don’t overlap was really great,” she said.

For Stéphany, for whom it was her first race, the event is also special because it starts and finishes at the Eiffel Tower, taking participants through the 7th, 8th and 16th arrondissements— and right through AUP’s urban campus.

As part of the mission to build connections between members of the 91�Թ��community, Buisson and her team look, in future years, to expand the Parisienne team to include students, perhaps some of those in the student led running club and other fitness and wellness groups led by Student Life and the Student Leadership Office.

Other exciting campus-wide wellbeing and team-building initiatives that the team has organized, often in collaboration with others across the University, include the first-ever 91�Թ��Retreat, the end of year holiday party and the 4th of July celebration. And they are just getting started.

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