Gillian Peele awarded British Academy Conference Grant

Gillian Peele has been awarded a British Academy Conference Grant for her conference ‘The Future of the American Conservative Movement`, to be held 8 - 10 May 2008.

The purpose of the conference is to explore the future of the American conservative movement and the Republican Party at the end of the George W Bush administration. The conservative movement is in many ways at a crossroads with sharp internal divisions over foreign policy, economic policy the role of government and the constitution. The conference will examine the extent to which the conservative coalition is fraying by bringing together leading academic analysts of different aspects of the contemporary American right (for example scholars of the role of religion in modern American politics) with public intellectuals and those who work in think tanks and policy institutes. The intention is to gain a balanced perspective on the political unity of the movement and on its emerging policy agenda. This topic is crucially important for scholars of American politics but also for those who are affected by America`s role in the world.