[PHILOS-L] The Spontaneity of Freedom Lecture Series, 25th May - Bernardo Zacka
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Philosophy.The Spontaneity Of Freedom
May 22, 2026, 2:01:04 PM (2 days ago) May 22
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Dear all,
The second of this semester's lectures will be this Monday (25th) from 4-6pm at UCL, where we'll hear from
Bernardo Zacka. Bernardo is Assistant Professor of Political Science at MIT. Below you can find a title and abstract for the session:
Before a word is spoken: The institutional atmosphere of the welfare state
For most of those who interact with it, the state is a place—somewhere we go to do something or to have something done to us. What difference does it make if that space is bright or grim, bland or distinctive, hospitable or forbidding? This talk presents a book that reconstructs the architectural history of public employment offices (Jobcenters) in the UK, the US, and Denmark from the early twentieth century to the present. The book takes as its object something political theory ordinarily does not look at—the carpets, furniture, lighting, and layouts of administrative offices—and shows that architecture is a political force in its own right. At its best, it can give the fraught relationship between citizens and the welfare state a second chance, making it possible for parties often cast as adversaries to meet on a different footing. At its worst, it can corrode that relationship further, impeding the institution's ability to deliver on its democratically-sanctioned mandate. Methodologically, the talk models a form of political theory that proceeds through thick description and comparison, so that our sense of what we should demand of an interface between state and society emerges from sustained attention to how such interfaces actually function and are experienced.
For most of those who interact with it, the state is a place—somewhere we go to do something or to have something done to us. What difference does it make if that space is bright or grim, bland or distinctive, hospitable or forbidding? This talk presents a book that reconstructs the architectural history of public employment offices (Jobcenters) in the UK, the US, and Denmark from the early twentieth century to the present. The book takes as its object something political theory ordinarily does not look at—the carpets, furniture, lighting, and layouts of administrative offices—and shows that architecture is a political force in its own right. At its best, it can give the fraught relationship between citizens and the welfare state a second chance, making it possible for parties often cast as adversaries to meet on a different footing. At its worst, it can corrode that relationship further, impeding the institution's ability to deliver on its democratically-sanctioned mandate. Methodologically, the talk models a form of political theory that proceeds through thick description and comparison, so that our sense of what we should demand of an interface between state and society emerges from sustained attention to how such interfaces actually function and are experienced.
To attend, please register
here. Online attendance will also be possible.
Kind regards,
The Spontaneity of Freedom Project
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