Michael P. Breen

An in-depth examination of political activities in early modern France that opens up new perspectives on the local workings of the French state and the experiences of those who participated in it. Law, City, and King provides important new insights into the transformation of political participation and consciousness among urban notables who bridged the gap between local society and the state in early modern France. Breen's detailed research shows how the educated, socially-middling avocats who staffed Dijon's municipality used law, patronage, and the other resources at their disposal to protect the city council's authority and their own participation in local governance. Drawing on juridical and historical authorities, the avocats favored a traditional conception of limited "absolute" monarchy increasingly at odds with royal ideology. Despite their efforts to resist the monarchy's growth, the expansion of royal power under Louis XIV eventually excluded Dijon's avocats from the French state. In opening up new perspectives on the local workings of the French state and the experiences of those who participated in it, Law, City, and King recasts debates about absolutism and early modern state formation. By focusing on the political alienation of notables who had long linked the crown to provincial society, Breen explains why Louis XIV's collaborative absolutism did not endure. At the same time, the book's examination of lawyers' political activities and ideas provides insights into the transformation of French political culturein the decades leading up to the French Revolution. Michael P. Breen is Associate Professor of History and Humanities at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

How can we involve students in classroom decisions? What difficulties might arise? What benefits can be expected? This collection addresses these questions by bringing together accounts from teachers who have introduced shared decision-making with students. The book describes the rationale for process syllabuses, which aim to provide a structure for negotiation. It provides examples from primary, secondary, tertiary and teacher education from a wide range of contexts – including Europe, the USA, South America, and Asia. The collection focuses on practice and provides a framework for teachers to experiment in their own classrooms.