Events
Cosponsors
- Department of Political Science at Columbia University
- The Embassy of Italy, Washington DC
- The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University
- The Columbia Seminar on Studies in Political and Social Thought
- Italian Cultural Institute of New York

The aim of this conference is to situate Machiavelli within the history of political thought and examine the tragic view of politics and conflict in the The Prince. Discussion will focus on the relation between The Prince and the Discourses and the foundation of good orders, and the assessment of the meaning of political liberty and power in the study of Machiavelli’s ideas.
Program
time8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Welcome and Break I
time9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Opening Remarks
Chair
David Freedberg
Pierre Matisse Professor of the History of Art and Director of The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America
Columbia University
Giuliano Amato
Emeritus Professor or Law
European University Institute
David Johnston
Professor of Political Science
Columbia University
time9:30am - 11:15am EDT
Panel I
Chair
Nadia Urbinati
Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory and Hellenic Studies
Columbia University
“Machiavelli on Describing the Vices as Virtues"
Quentin Skinner
Barber Beaumont Professor of the Humanities
Queen Mary, University of London
“Machiavelli on Good and Evil: The Problem of Dirty Hands Revisited”
Giovanni Giorgini
Professor of Political Philosophy
University of Bologna
Discussant
Bernard Manin
Professor of Politics
New York University
time11:15am - 11:30am EDT
Break II
time11:30am - 1:15pm EDT
Panel II
Chair
Riccardo Viale
Professor of Methodology of Social Sciences
University of Milano-Bicocca
"Corruption, Virtue and the Republic in Machiavelli"
Thierry Ménissier
Professeur des Universités, Philosophie et Innovation
Université de Grenoble
“The Necessity to Be Not-Good: Machiavelli’s Realism and Foreign Relations”
Erica Benner
Fellow in Political Philosophy
Yale University
Discussant
time1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Break III
time2:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Panel III
Chair
Jean Cohen
Nell and Herbert M. Singer Professor of Political Theory and Contemporary Civilization
Columbia University
“'To Enjoy the Present Advantage of Being Able to Despoil the People': Financial Order andPolitical Disorder in Machiavelli”
Jérémie Barthas
Researcher
National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
“Machiavelli and the Gracchi: On the Relation Between Republican Liberty and Class Conflict”
Benedetto Fontana
Associate Professor of Political Science
Baruch College
Discussant
Michele Battini
Professor at the Department of Civilization Forms of Knowledge and Scientific Field Contemporary History
University of Pisa
time4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Break IV
time4:30pm - 6:15pm EDT
Panel IV
Chair
Karuna Mantena
Associate Professor of Political Science
Yale University
“The Expanding Character of Liberty in Machiavelli”
Thomas Berns
Professor of Philosophy
Université Libre de Bruxelles
“Citizenship and the Desire for Freedom: What Kind of a Democrat Is Machiavelli?”
Marie Gaille
Head of Research (CR1) and Doctor of Philosophy - CNRS
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Discussant
Carlo Invernizzi Accetti
Alexander Bodini Research Fellow in Culture and Religion
Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University
time6:15pm - 7:30pm EDT
Break V
time8:30am - 9:00pm EDT
Break I
time9:15am - 11:00am EDT
Panel V
Chair
Barbara Carnevali
Researcher in Philosophy
Institut d’études avancées de Paris
“The Prince and the Discourses: One Masterpiece”
Philip C. Bobbit
Herbert Wechsler Prof. of Federal Jurisprudence; Dir. Center for National Security Law
Columbia University
“Extraordinary Accidents in the Life of Republics: Machiavelli and Dictatorial Authority”
Marco Geuna
Associate Professor of History of Political Philosophy
University of Milan
Discussant
Andreas Kalyvas
Associate Professor of Political Science
New School for Social Research
time11:00am - 11:15am EDT
Break II
time11:15am - 1:00pm EDT
Panel VI
Chair
Helena Rosenblatt
Professor of History
City University of New York
“Machiavelli’s The Prince and the Principality by Acquisition”
Pasquale Pasquino
Global Distinguished Professor of Politics
New York University
“The Ecclesiastical Principality”
Paul A. Rahe
Professor of History
Hillsdale College
Discussant
Michael A. Mosher
Professor of Political Science
The University of Tulsa
time1:15am - 2:30pm EDT
Break III
time2:30pm - 4:15pm EDT
Panel VII
Chair
Bryan Garsten
Professor of Political Science
Yale University
"On Political Power and Personal Liberty in The Prince and the Discourses"
Jo Ann Cavallo
Professor of Italian
aculty
“Machiavelli and the Constituent Power: The Revolutionary Foundation of Modern PoliticalThought”
Filippo Del Lucchese
Lecturer in Politics and History
Brunel University, London
Discussant
Camila Vergara
PhD candidate in Political Theory
Columbia University
time4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Break IV
time4:30pm - 6:15pm EDT
Panel VIII
Chair
David Johnston
Professor of Political Science
Columbia University
“Machiavelli’s Verità Effettuale”
Harvey C. Mansfield
William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Government
Harvard university
“The Tyrant as Republican Reformer in Machiavelli’s Discourses”
John P. McCormick
Professor of Political Science
University of Chicago
Discussant
Gloria Origgi
Postdoctoral Fellow at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies
Columbia University
time6:30am - 7:00pm EDT
Closing Remarks
Nadia Urbinati
Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory and Hellenic Studies
Columbia University
Participants
- Carlo Invernizzi Accetti Alexander Bodini Research Fellow in Culture and Religion Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University
- Giuliano Amato Emeritus Professor or Law European University Institute
- Jérémie Barthas Researcher National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
- Michele Battini Professor at the Department of Civilization Forms of Knowledge and Scientific Field Contemporary History University of Pisa
- Erica Benner Fellow in Political Philosophy Yale University
- Thomas Berns Professor of Philosophy Université Libre de Bruxelles
- Philip C. Bobbit Herbert Wechsler Prof. of Federal Jurisprudence; Dir. Center for National Security Law Columbia University
- Barbara Carnevali Researcher in Philosophy Institut d'études avancées de Paris
- Jo Ann Cavallo Professor of Italian Columbia University
- Jean Cohen Nell and Herbert M. Singer Professor of Political Theory and Contemporary Civilization Columbia University
- Benedetto Fontana Associate Professor of Political Science Baruch College
- David Freedberg Pierre Matisse Professor of the History of Art and Director of The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America Columbia University
- Marie Gaille Head of Research (CR1) and Doctor of Philosophy - CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Bryan Garsten Professor of Political Science Yale University
- Marco Geuna Associate Professor of History of Political Philosophy University of Milan
- Giovanni Giorgini Professor of Political Philosophy University of Bologna
- David Johnston Professor of Political Science Columbia University
- Andreas Kalyvas Associate Professor of Political Science New School for Social Research
- Filippo Del Lucchese Lecturer in Politics and History Brunel University, London
- Bernard Manin Professor of Politics New York University
- Harvey C. Mansfield William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Government Harvard university
- Karuna Mantena Associate Professor of Political Science Yale University
- John P. McCormick Professor of Political Science University of Chicago
- Thierry Ménissier Professeur des Universités, Philosophie et Innovation Université de Grenoble
- Michael A. Mosher Professor of Political Science The University of Tulsa
- Gloria Origgi Postdoctoral Fellow at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies Columbia University
- Pasquale Pasquino Global Distinguished Professor of Politics New York University
- Paul A. Rahe Professor of History Hillsdale College
- Helena Rosenblatt Professor of History City University of New York
- Quentin Skinner Barber Beaumont Professor of the Humanities Queen Mary, University of London
- Nadia Urbinati Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory and Hellenic Studies Columbia University
- Camila Vergara PhD candidate in Political Theory Columbia University
- Riccardo Viale Professor of Methodology of Social Sciences University of Milano-Bicocca