‘Ideas in Motion. Latin America and the Global History of Democracy, 1810–1930’, was the title of the an international conference hosted by our project in Oxford from 31 October to 1 November. The event brought together scholars from the UK, Europe and the Americas to explore how ideas of democracy circulated across the Atlantic.
Presenters explored how democratic ideas circulated throughout Latin America and the Atlantic world between independence and early twentieth centuries. Among many other topics, the discussions examined the role of early constitutional thinkers, and the influence of political philosophies traveling between Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Panels highlighted how concepts of democracy and the rule of law were reinterpreted by local actors—from constitutionalists and legal scholars to Indigenous writers and translators, including women who shaped public debate through their work. The sessions also traced transatlantic dialogues on constitutionalism, religion, exile, and political reform, culminating in studies of how Latin American democratic thought itself was projected abroad.
The discussions proved to be a highly fruitful foundation for the preparation of an edited volume coming out of our project. The following colleagues participated in the conference:
- Juan Neves-Sarriegui
- José Antonio Aguilar Rivera
- Iván Jaksić
- Laura Cucchi
- Jorge Luengo
- Natalia Sobrevilla
- Miriam Melton-Villanueva
- Nicola Miller
- Andre Jockyman Roithmann
- Andréa Slemian
- Eduardo Posada-Carbó
- Mark Petersen
- Eduardo A Zimmermann
- Paula Alonso
- Nikita Harwich
- Emilie Brickel-Curryova
- Alan Knight
The organization of the conference was possible thanks to the support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation. Brasenose College and the History Faculty.
