Internationalising the Enlightenment

This book celebrates the meeting of many minds, assembling from many continents, to focus upon the eighteenth century - and the use (and potential misuse) of its legacies today. Thirty-two contributors from eighteen different countries provide fresh perspectives. Together, they highlight past and present arguments about the eighteenth-century’s famous ‘Republic of Letters’ - and the ideas that it generated, collectively known as the ‘Enlightenment’.

The contributors are members of an International Society, which focuses upon eighteenth-century studies. This body has now flourished for sixty years. And its 6,000+ members work together - excited to learn about the perspectives of colleagues from different backgrounds - and thereby to foster a new global citizenship.

So this collection demonstrates what it takes to sustain a Republic of Letters - across the potential barriers of political, cultural, regional and religious divisions - not only in the past but also today. Currently, there are countless global organisations, that are not sustained by governments. These range from academic societies to a great variety of charities and humanitarian bodies. Together, they are forging a new global civics. And ISECS is proud to be part of that historic process - updating the best hopes of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment.