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Adela Halo

Email: a.halo@qmul.ac.uk

Thesis title

Ending the French Revolution: Madame de Staël and the Birth of Liberalism in France.

Supervisors

Prof. Gareth Stedman Jones and Dr Maksymilian Del Mar.

Summary of research

The design of state power to maintain order and liberty is a topic that has fascinated me deeply since the mid-nineties, especially as I observed the “democratisation” efforts of post-communist countries, including my own. As a doctoral student between the schools of Law and History at Queen Mary, I examine constitutional debates during the French Revolution and the struggle to transform monarchical France into a republic. Under the supervision of Prof. Gareth Stedman Jones and Dr Maksymilian Del Mar, I currently focus on the constitutional thought of Jacques Necker and Germaine de Staël, and in particular their ideas on legislative and executive powers, representative government, public opinion, and the link between religion, mores, and political order. I am more broadly interested in ideas of liberty and order during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Previously, I completed the MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History at Queen Mary and University College London. My undergraduate studies were in political science and international relations. Over six years prior to my doctoral studies, I worked for a number of international organisations, including the Open Society Foundation, the European Commission, and Transparency International, on questions of EU accession, good governance, and especially the fight against corruption in my home country, Albania.