Scatter thou the People that Delight in War’: British Political Discourse, Narratives of Betrayal and the Making of the Treaty of Utrecht
The international relations theorist, Lene Hansen, wrote in 2006:
‘Foreign policy decision-makers are situated within a larger political and public sphere, ... their representations as a consequence draw upon and are formed by the representations articulated by a large number of individuals, institutions and media outlets’.
Hansen’s study was of the Balkan wars of the early 1990s, but this paper will demonstrate that her methodology – the analysis of discourse across a broad range of categories – can equally be applied to the fierce contention which arose in early 18th century British politics over the making of the peace of Utrecht.
Adopting that methodology, and applying a holistic approach absent from the existing historiography, the paper will address three areas: the narratives which characterised that discourse, focussing on narratives of betrayal; the actors promoting those narratives, and the media they employed; and those actors’ objectives, and how successful they were in achieving them.
All welcome.
This event is free to attend, but advance registration is required.
This will be a ‘hybrid’ seminar with a limited number of places available in person and a larger number of bookings for online attendance via Zoom. Those attending in person are asked to bring a Wi-Fi enabled laptop, tablet or phone.
This page was last updated on 29 June 2024
