Speaker: David Ciepley, AIAS Fellow

Participate online via Zoom: https://aarhusuniversity.zoom.us/j/67215252700

Abstract

Can a corporate economy be made compatible with constitutional democracy?  Modern constitutionalism and the stockholder-dominated corporation both grew out of England’s first ‘corporate empire’ and surprisingly have a common corporate ancestor—the early modern ‘regulated company.’  However, they developed in opposite directions—one towards republicanism, the other towards autocracy.  Americans brought them together, creating the first corporate economy in the first modern constitutional republic.  However, American efforts to keep them compatible have fallen apart under neoliberalism, making reform urgently necessary.      

Short bio

David Ciepley is a political theorist who works on the history and theory of corporations and constitutional states—two distinct but related instrumentalities that have grown over time through a ratcheting process of co-development.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, taught for twelve years at the University of Denver, and is now Associate Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.  

Read about David Ciepley's project at AIAS here.

What is an AIAS Seminar?

The AIAS Seminar is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellow or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, one fellow will present and discuss his/her current research and research project, closing off with a question and discussion session.

All seminars are held in English.