Join us on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 11:00am ET/5pm CET for a discussion of the new book, Whose Sovereignty: Democracy and the People in the European Union, by Prof. Céline Spector (Edinburgh University Press, 2026).
The book was published as part of the CES book series, Understanding Europe, with Agenda Publishing and Edinburgh University Press. Prof. Celine Spector (Sorbonne University and College of Europe) will be joined by Prof. Vivien Schmidt (Boston University).
When: November 18, 2026 at 11:00 am ET/5pm CET
Who: Céline Spector and Vivien A. Schmidt
About the book:
In this carefully argued case for a federal Europe, Céline Spector proposes that national sovereignty has become increasingly untenable as mechanisms perpetuating fiscal, social and environmental inequities transcend borders. Indeed, in the face of Russian aggression and America’s apparent retreat from its protective role, strengthening European integration has become essential and federalization appears increasingly necessary.
Although the concept of the sovereign people has become symbolic within nation-states, Spector show that it has become devoid of substantive political force. Rather than lamenting the decline of direct democracy, she advocates for a democratized European Union that could redefine popular sovereignty and protect human rights. The transformation of state sovereignty need not signal democracy’s end or the subordination of politics to law. Instead, it could facilitate new forms of political community at the European level and enable a reconceptualization of popular sovereignty beyond the nation-state.
Speaker Bios:
Céline Spector: An alumna of the École normale supérieure in Paris, Céline Spector is Professor at the Department of Philosophy at Sorbonne University and an Associate Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. She has held visiting positions or taught at several foreign universities (Stanford, Chicago, Kyoto…). Her work focuses on the history of 18th-century political philosophy (Montesquieu, Rousseau). In the wake of her reflection on the legacy of the Enlightenment, she has undertaken a genealogical and normative study of democracy and European sovereignty. Recent titles include: Whose Sovereignty ? Democracy and the People in the European Union, Agenda Publishing, Edinburgh University Press, 2026). She is the recipient of the CNRS Silver Medal in 2024.
Vivien A Schmidt: Vivien A. Schmidt is Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration, Professor Emerita of International Relations and Political Science, and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University. She is currently Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute and Honorary Professor at LUISS University. Recent books include The Power of Ideas and Discourse in Political Analysis: A Discursive Institutionalist Perspective (Oxford 2026) and the award-winning Europe’s Crisis of Legitimacy: Governing by Rules and Ruling by Numbers in the Eurozone (Oxford 2020). Schmidt’s recent honors and awards include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the European Union Studies Association.