Book talk : The Government of Chance -- Sortition and Politics from Athens to the Present

The Ash Center invites you to an online book talk and series of panel discussions to mark the publication of The Government of Chance: Sortition and Politics from Athens to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2023) by Yves Sintomer, Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow; Professor of Political Science, Paris 8 University; and Associate Member, Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Jane Suiter, Professor of Political Communication at Dublin City University will chair the discussion.

The first panel from 10:00-11:00 am EST will discuss sortition and politics in history, and will include:

Irad Malkin, Professor Emeritus of Ancient Greek History, Tel Aviv University, and Visiting Professor in Classics, Oxford University
Thomas Maissen, Director of the German Historical Institute Paris, and Professor for Early Modern History, University of Heidelberg

The second panel from 11:00 to 12:00pm EST will discuss whether sortition is a tool for democratic innovation in the 21st century, and will include:

Archon Fung, Director, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School
Jane Mansbridge, the Charles F. Adams Professor Emerita at Harvard Kennedy School

This event is organized by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School with the support of European Union research projects EUComMeet (Developing Participatory Spaces using a Multi-stage, Multi-level, Multi-mode, Multi-lingual, Dynamic Deliberative Approach) and PHOENIX (The Rise of Citizens Voices for a Greener Europe).

Event Details

The Ash Center encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its events. Should you wish to enquire about an accommodation, please contact our events team at info@ash.harvard.edu prior to the event.

Additional questions? Email the Ash Center events team at info@ash.harvard.edu.