Alternative Political and Legal Theory Discussion Group: "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin"

The Alternative Political and Legal Theory (APLT) Discussion group is excited to announce that we are returning for Trinity term for another exciting, boundary pushing, and incredibly intellectually enriching reading group seminar. This term, we will be continuing to challenge traditional legal and political  orthodoxies by reading " The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin" by  Corey Robin, Professor of Political Science at Brookyln College.

Robin's book is a incisive and at times polemic examination of the political theory of conservatism, tracing it's roots from it's emergence in the after-math of the French Revolution to it's modern instantiation in populist figures like Patrick Buchanan, Sarah Palin, and even Donald Trump. Rather than attempting to find the origins of conservative or right wing through in a defence of liberty or tradition, Robin instead seeks to situate conservative intellectual history as a continuing response to movements from the political left, arguing that each new emergence of right wing ideology can be explained as an attempt to maintain a particular historically continent social hierarchy from egalitarian reforms and democratisation. The book spawned intense academic and political debate upon it's original release and we look forward to dipping our toes into these waters in our own reading group. 

The APLT will be meeting on the 3rd of June at 2pm in Seminar Room C of the Manor Road Building. We will specifically be focusing on the Introduction and Chapter 1 of the First Edition of the Book which is freely available online through the University of Oxford's Library Service. 

If you have any questions please get in touch with either of the co-convenors (Dr Dominik Krell or Dr Joseph Patrick McAulay.) 

Thank you all and we cannot wait to see you there.