Academia Tocqueville

In 2023, I co-founded Academia Tocqueville with Laurent Frémont (Sciences Po) and Luke Foster (Hillsdale College): great men of culture and great friends. It’s a twelve-day seminar dedicated to French political thought since the Revolution, that takes place every summer in Paris.

Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and young professionals from around the world may apply. The seminar takes place in English.

See our website for more information on the program and on how to apply.

What does the seminar’s curriculum cover?

The seminar examines the topics and themes that are neglected in mainstream English-speaking universities. Students discover:

• The French liberal-conservative tradition;

• French counter-revolutionary thought;

• Bonapartism and Caesarism;

• French Catholic political thought.

Thinkers studied include Blaise Pascal, Charles-Louis de Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, Joseph de Maistre, François-René de Chateaubriand, Charles Péguy, Simone Weil, Georges Bernanos, Jacques Maritain, Charles de Gaulle, and Raymond Aron.

I’m dazzled by all those French names. Can I just watch a video or two to learn more?

You can! For an introduction to the program, see this video:

For student testimonials, watch this:

Now I understand. Who supports such an amazing program?

Academia Tocqueville is made possible through generous support of The Institute for Human Ecology: the nation’s leading academic institute committed to identifying the economic, cultural, and social conditions vital for human flourishing.