The Politics of the ‘Sociable Self’: Theories and Practices (1650-1850)
The aim of this interdisciplinary seminar is (1) to explore the formation and evolution of the concept of a ‘sociable self’ during the long eighteenth century (1650-1850); (2) to historicize theories of sociability by grounding them in social practices so as to understand their mutual influence; (3) to examine the role of sociability in the definition of social bonds and civic practices (sense of belonging, social attachment, national affection, public engagement); (4) to explore how these concepts and practices were subject to debate, contest and change.
The seminar series will investigate the changing meaning and theorisation of the ‘sociable’ self in various discourses (political and moral philosophy, anthropology, medical science, economic theory …). It will also explore the dissemination of these meanings and theories as well as attempts to put them into practice in different contexts and through different means, such as journalism, clubbing, debating societies, fiction writing, travel writing, and life writing. We will seek to identify key moments and events that triggered changes in how the sociable-self was conceived of and put into practice. The seminar series will also examine the broadening of the meaning of sociability from referring to a personal trait (‘fellowlike’, ‘friendly’) and a natural inclination (to ‘keep company’) to referring to mutually beneficial social interactions and a desire to forge the ‘general interest’. To what extent does the theory of the ‘sociable self’ provide a new perspective to understand the tensions at work between the motives and aspirations of the individual and the constraints and interests of the social group.
Thinking about the politics of the ‘sociable self’ will also raise questions about the centrality of sociability in Enlightenment culture, the tensions with individuality, the changing representations of solitude, and the embodied, material and emotional aspects of the interpersonal constitution of ‘sociable selves’. The COVID pandemic heightened our awareness of the need for social interactions and social bonds, especially among young and elderly people. The renewal of academic interest in theories of the 'self' and on social attachment attests to the ongoing relevance of this important topic. Moreover, the predominant culture of ‘the self’ in our contemporary societies is inevitably affecting how we imagine and maintain sociability.
Brainstorming sessions on secondary and primary sources
* SESSION 1
The first session focused on secondary sources which address the construction of selfhood and socialness in the long eighteenth century. The discussions revolved around the four aspects identified in the above description of the seminar: (1) formation of the concept of 'sociable self'; (2) mutual influence theories / practices; (3) definition and structuration of social bonds; (4) debates and evolution of concept.
On the self:
- Dror Wahrman, ‘The Ancien Regime of Identity’, in The Making of the Modern Self. Identity and Culture in Eighteenth Century England, Yale University Press, 2006. PDF version
- Dror Wahrman, ‘The Modern Regime of Selfhood’, in The Making of the Modern Self. Identity and Culture in Eighteenth Century England, Yale University Press, 2006. PDF version
On the sociable self:
- Larry F. Norman, ‘Modern Identity and The Sociable Self in The Late Seventeenth Century’, Nottingham French Studies, Vol. 47, No.3, Autumn 2008, p. 34-44. PDF version.
- Phil Withington, ‘The Sociable Self’, Society in Early Modern England, Polity Press, 2010. PDF version.
* SESSION 2
Selection of primary texts to be read and discussed:
Boileau, Nicolas, Dialogue, ou Satire X, 1694; Perrault, Charles, L'apologie des femmes, Paris : Coignard, 1694 ; Montesquieu, Lettres persanes, 1721 ; Montesquieu, ‘Préface’ de L’esprit des lois, 1748. PDF version
Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, (Earl of), The Life, Unpublished Letters, and Philosophical Regimen, ed. Benjamin Rand, London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1900 ; Mandeville, Bernard, ‘A Search into the Nature of Society’, The Fable of the Bees, or Private Vices, Public Benefits (1714) ; Hutcheson, Francis, ‘The natural sociability of mankind’ (1730), in Logic, Metaphysics, and the Natural Sociability of Mankind, ed. James Moore and Michael Silverthorne, Liberty Fund, 2006. PDF version
Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, (Earl of), An Inquiry Concerning Virtue or Merit (1714), Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1904. PDF version
Franklin, Benjamin, Journal of a Voyage (1726) in Franklin Papers, Vol. 1, p. 72 ; Tocqueville, Alexis (de), ‘Anomalies. Spirit of Association and Spirit of Exclusion’, Journeys to England and Ireland (1833-35), Ed. by J.P. Mayer, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1958, p. 87-88. PDF version
Hume, David, Extracts from A Treatise of Human Nature (1734); 'Of National Characters' (1748); 'Of Essay-Writing' (1741-2); An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (1751); An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748); Smith, Adam, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). PDF version
Delany, Patrick, Twenty Sermons on Social Duties, and Their Opposite Vices. London: Printed for John and James Rivington, the Bible and Crown in St. Paul's Church era, 1747, p. 410-412. PDF version
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Second discours sur l’origine, et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes, Marc Michel Rey, 1762, p. 177-8 ; A Discourse Upon the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality Among Mankind, Dodsley, 1761, p. 180-1 ; Addison’s Essays, ‘On Dreams’, in Selections from the Spectator, London : W. Tegg, 1876, p. 456 ; Wollstonecraft, Mary, LETTERS written during a short residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, 1796. PDF version
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker, 1796 (Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire, 1782). PDF version
Macaulay Graham, Catherine, Letters on Education. With Observations on Religious and Metaphysical Subjects, 1790. PDF version
THEMATIC SESSIONS
* SESSION 3
Sociability and Animality - 8 November 2024 at Université de Rennes 2, from 17:00 to 19:00 (French time)
- Silvia Sebastiani (EHESS Paris) - A social orang-utan? Enlightenment Debates on the borders of humanity
- Jane Spencer (University of Exeter) - A 'fellowship of sense with all that breathes': the representation of human—animal bonds in eighteenth-century and Romantic writing
Session chaired by Sophie Mesplède and Kimberley Page-Jones
* SESSION 4
Educating the Sociable Self - 29 January 2025 in London at the National Archives, from 16:00 to 18:00 (UK time)
- Géraldine Lepan (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3) - L'éducation morale selon Rousseau : de la solitude de l'enfance, à l'éveil de l'humanité
- Matthew Grenby (Newcastle University) - Delight in Friendship: managing the sociable self in early British children’s literature
Session chaired by Michele Cohen and Mascha Hansen
Primary sources:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 'livre 4' (1762)
Sarah Fielding’s The Governess; or, Little Female Academy (1749)
Thomas Day’s The History of Sandford and Merton (1783-89)
* SESSION 5
The Language and Grammar of the Sociable Self - 21 March 2025 at UBO Brest (room C204), from 16:30 to 18:30 (French time)
- Dr. Ross Carroll (Dublin City University) - Laughing with (and at) our Fellows: The Search for a Sociable Humour in Eighteenth-century Moral Philosophy
- Dr Mary Fairclough (University of York) - ‘We neither laugh alone nor weep alone, why then should we pray alone?’: Contagious sociability and Dissenting public worship, 1770-1800
Session chaired by Alain Kerhervé & Kate Davison
* SESSION 6
Policing (radical) sociabilities - 21 May 2025 at Université Paris Cité, from 17:00 to 19:00 (French time)
- Charles Walton (University of Warwick) - 'Policing the Seat of Sovereignty: Controlling Speech in the National Assemblies of the French Revolution (1789-1794)'
- Katrina Navickas (University of Hertfordshire) - 'The Urban Commons and Resistance to the Enclosure of Public Space in England, 1760-1848'
Session chaired by John-Erik Hansson and Chris Fletcher
* SESSION 7
The Revolutionary Self - 8 July 2025 at Ecole normale supérieure (ENS Ulm), from 16:00 to 18:00 (French time)
- Guest speaker: Lynn Hunt (UCLA)
- Discussant: Sarah Knott (St John's College, Oxford / Indiana University)
Session chaired by Charles Walton & Kimberley Page-Jones
* Session 8
Sociability & Religion - 26 September 2025 at Université Paris Cité, from 17:00 to 19:00 (French time)
- Joel Halcomb (University of East Anglia, History) - '1650-1680 sociability among nonconformists during freedom and persecution'
- Danielle Clarke (Literature, University College Dublin)
Session chaired by Emma Bartel and Nicolas Guyard
* Session 9
Gossip, Scandal and Sociabilities - 7 November 2025 at Université Paris Cité
- Rebecca Barr (University of Cambridge)
- Matthew Kinservik (University of Delaware)
Session chaired by Clara Manco and Sophie Vasset