Time: 6:30pmVenue: Arts Two Lecture Theatre, Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS
Niccolò Machiavelli was, for many of his contemporaries, a puzzling figure. Notwithstanding his profound impact, he remains as enigmatic as ever. On the one hand, it seems difficult to reconcile the author of "The Prince" with the author of the "Discourses on Livy". On the other, Machiavelli's place the history of political thought is paradoxical - central and isolated at the same time. The lecture will address this issue obliquely, through a close-up on Machiavelli as a reader: a contextual, conjectural exercise.
Carlo Ginzburg is Professor of European Culture at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, and has taught at the University of Bologna and at the University of California at Los Angeles. His influential works have been translated into many languages, and include The Cheese and the Worms (1976), The Night Battles (1983), Clues, Myths and the Historical Method (1989), Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath (1991), No Man is an Island (2000) and Threads and Traces: True, False, Fictive (2012). His historical insights, methods and discoveries have animated conversations throughout the world. With an historical practice enriched by several other disciplines, he has contributed to the social, cultural and intellectual history of medieval and early modern Europe by focusing on the themes of witchcraft, historiography, inquisition, and popular beliefs. Prof Ginzburg has also intervened in contemporary discussions on law and justice in Europe.
A drinks reception will follow the lecture.
The Arts 2 Lecture Theatre is in the Arts 2 Building which is building number 35 on the