Abstract:
Two stories from the Roman Republic – one from the Second Punic War, the other from Julius Caesar's march on Rome – became foundational stories for eighteenth-century republicans. This talk will examine the path that those stories took, and why they came to exemplify the republican belief that all soldiers should be citizens, and all citizens soldiers. It will then focus on several early modern attempts to recreate Roman citizen-soldier traditions, and why they were less than successful. The talk will end by discussing the United States' Second Amendment in the context of Benjamin Constant's discussion of ancient and modern liberties.
Bio:
Noah Shuserman is Assistant Professor of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prior coming to Hong Kong, he taught at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is the author of two books: Religion and the Politics of Time: Holidays in France from Louis XIV through Napoleon; and The French Revolution: Faith, Politics, and Desire.
