An International Research Project and Network
Hosted by the Moritz-Stern-Institut, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Project directors and network coordinators:
Brian Kjær Olesen
Jonas Gerlings
Description
Recounting the rise of the abolitionist movement the British abolitionist Thomas Clarkson compared it to a “river” of ideas, with “different springs which have contributed to its increase” ultimately culminating in “the torrent which swept away the Slave-trade.” Clarkson found that to understand the rise of abolitionism one needed to study this river of ideas, not only its source but also the “different streams” which would “run into it and feed it.” The map, which Clarkson drew, had two main branches, a European and an American; however, despite the mentioning of a few continental thinkers like Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Raynal, the European branch was predominantly anglophone. Clarkson’s map of abolitionist thinkers, still today, outlines the dominating view of the development of abolitionist thought. Yet, a growing number of national studies have pointed to the limited scope of this anglophone perspective. Studies on Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Baltic provinces, and Russia have outlined the contours of rich and diverse abolitionist projects in Europe. But still, as these studies are mostly focused on national abolitionist projects, the understanding of a shared European heritage remains fragmented.
The aim of this network is to redraw, expand, and reassess Clarkson’s map from a European perspective in order to study and connect the multiple “springs” and “streams” that contributed to the “the torrent which swept away the Slave-trade.” By focusing on continental Europe, we aim to examine the common cause between the abolition of slavery and the abolition of serfdom. The network brings together a group of internationally recognized experts to produce the first comprehensive study of abolitionism as a European political discourse. In doing so, the network will analyse how key abolitionist texts and debates were connected transnationally through transfer, translation, and shared ideology, and how they intervened in national projects and policies on servitude.
Network Participants
Brian Kjær Olesen
Jonas Gerlings
John R. D. Coffey
Gabriel Darriulat
Jose M. Portillo
Andrew Kahn
Pärtel Piirimäe
Kadi Kähär-Peterson
Vincent Roy-Di Piazza
Bert Drejer
Giulia Bonazza
Iwan-Michelangelo D’Aprile
Network Activities
27–28 May 2026: Abolitionist Movements: Freedom and Slavery in European Political Thought, 1770–1820, Workshop 1: Overseas and Atlantic Perspectives, University of Göttingen.
5–6 October 2026: Abolitionist Movements: Freedom and Slavery in European Political Thought, 1770–1820, Workshop 2: Continental and Baltic Perspectives, Florence, Fiesole.
The Federal Union: Futures and Pasts of a Shared European Heritage 1515-2025
Europe is in crisis. Perhaps the European Union has even entered, as many analysts like to put it, an era of ‘polycrisis’. One of our most fundamental European debates concerns the future direction of the Union, especially in terms of its democracy, its civic cultures and its geopolitics. What should the make-up of the Union be in terms of democratic institutions? What should be its foundation in terms of citizenship and civic cultures? How should citizens and policy makers address the division and workings of sovereign powers in the Union? How should the Union act in the world of geopolitics? In short, what kind Federal Union should Europe be?- The first aim of our project is to contribute to the historical study of the Federal Union as a shared European heritage.
- The second aim of the project is to connect historical study with reflections on Europe’s present and future as Federal Union.
The first step has been to set up a small group and steering committee and to organise an exploratory workshop that took place on Monday 16 September and Tuesday 17 September 2024. The group set out the research agenda, presented first drafts of chapters and discussed opportunities for research funding. For the workshop programme click here.
For more information about the project click here.