Shakespeare and Interwar British Philosophy (1918-1939) – 27 June 2026, Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare, Hampton, UK

Tickets available via Eventbrite

Famously described as the Twenty Years Crisis by the international relations historian E.H. Carr, the period between the First and Second World Wars was an important moment in British philosophy, theatre and culture. This symposium considers Shakespeare and his plays in relation to the developments in intellectual life in Britain in this period. Papers include discussions of Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, J.L. Austin, John Maynard Keynes, and A.N. Whitehead. A closing panel discusses Richard Wilson’s 2025 book, Shakespeare’s Fascist Followers: Modern Friends. Speakers include Sarah Beckwith, Martin Harries, Christoph Schuringa, and Michael Witmore.

Preliminary programme:
10-11 h
Welcome and Introduction
Christoph Schuringa: Russell, Wittgenstein, Shakespeare

11-11:30 h
Coffee/tea

11:30-13 h
Sarah Beckwith: Austin’s Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Austin: Tragedy and Moral Encounter
Martin Harries: Keynes on Art and the State

13-15 h
Lunch

15-15:45 h
Michael Witmore: Shakespeare and Whitehead: Two Philosophers of Eventuality (Zoom)

15:45-16:00 h
Coffee/tea

16:00-17:30 h
Panel on “Shakespeare’s Fascist Followers”

17:30-18:30 h
Roundtable discussion