States of Exception in American History: Book Launch and Q&A

The first comprehensive account of the politics of exceptions and emergencies in the history of the United States, States of Exception in American History weaves together historical studies of moments and spaces of exception with conceptual analyses of emergency, the state of exception, sovereignty, and dictatorship. Combining theory and history, this book spotlights the remarkable number of instances since the Founding in which the protections of the Constitution have been overridden, held in abeyance, or deliberately weakened for certain members of the polity.

During this virtual event, Gary Gerstle and Joel Isaac will discuss the book’s overarching themes, methodological contributions, and relevance for our current moment. A Q&A session will follow, with questions taken in advance. To submit a question, please email statesofexception@gmail.com. This event will be chaired by Stephen Colbrook (UCL Americas).

States of Exception in American History, edited by Gary Gerstle and Joel Isaac will be published by University of Chicago Press in October 2020.

About the speakers:

Gary Gerstle is the Paul Mellon Professor of American History at the University of Cambridge and the author of several books, including American Crucible and Liberty and Coercion.

Joel Isaac is associate professor of Social Thought in the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Working Knowledge and coeditor of The Worlds of American Intellectual History.

Professor Gary Gerstle - academic profile

Dr Joel Isaac - academic profile

States of Exception in American History - publisher’s website

Images:

Cover of States of Exception in American History - University of Chicago Press, 2020

Photos courtesy of speakers