Call for Papers, deadline – 15 June 2025
Please see below a Call for Papers for Common Sense at 250: Legacies of Democracy from Paine to Today, a conference marking the 250th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. The event will take place on 9–10 January 2026 at the University of Sussex and in Lewes, where Paine lived from 1768 to 1774.
Co-organised by the Sussex Centres for Intellectual History, Social and Political Thought, and American Studies; the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies; and Thomas Paine: Legacy (based at Bull House, Lewes), the conference will explore Paine’s arguments in Common Sense, their impact during the Age of Revolutions, and their complex legacies in democratic thought and practice today.
We welcome proposals on a wide range of themes, including transatlantic radicalism, democratic rhetoric, print culture, reception histories, and contemporary relevance. Confirmed keynote speakers include Professor Gregory Claeys (Royal Holloway) and Professor Danielle Allen (Harvard).
The full call for papers is available here:
https://theitps.org/common-sense-at-250-legacies-of-democracy-from-paine-to-today/
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