On 30 November and 1 December 2017, RIAS hosted an international conference dedicated to exploring the ‘Rooseveltian Century’ as a historical theme.
The Rooseveltian Century is a new concept for contemporary history, which seeks to connect the emergence of the United States as a global power to the development of progressive politics, both at home and abroad . It examines the three most prominent Roosevelts – Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor – as a ‘collective agent’ who changed our understanding of the responsibilities of government and the global role of the United States. It links the three Roosevelts not only by name but also by belief, purpose and worldview.
The Rooseveltian Century, as a historical frame, makes use of the three Roosevelts to view, critically consider, and explore progressive themes in US history and international relations, without necessarily stating that the three acted in unison or that they expressed the same views or policies.
The conference has explored how the concept of a Rooseveltian Century might be used to reintrerpret major themes in American and global history. To that end, it brought together a wide range of leading scholars to address how the Roosevelts redefined three overarching themes: security, equality, and freedom.
Keynote speakers included Frank Costigliola (University of Connecticut); Mary Dudziak (Emory University); Petra Goedde (Temple University); Kiran Patel (Maastricht University); Lisa McGirr (Harvard University); Justin Hart (Texas Tech University); Elizabeth Borgwardt (Washington University in St. Louis); Mario del Pero (SciencesPo); and Michael Cullinane (Northumbria University).
The conference program can be downloaded here.
The keynote lectures are freely available through the online radio station TXT Radio. You can listen to them here:
‘Security’, featuring Frank Costigliola (University of Connecticut) and Mary Dudziak (Emory University);
‘Equality’, with Petra Goedde (Temple University) and Kiran Klaus Patel (University of Maastricht);
‘Freedom’,with Lisa McGirr (Harvard University) and Justin Hart (Texas Tech University);
‘Legacies’, with Michael Cullinane (University of Roehampton) and Elizabeth Borgwardt (Washington University St Louis).