The town of La Brède organized the 7th edition of the La Brède Days on Saturday, October 10th, held at the Château de Montesquieu. The event, focused on the topical theme of the Nation, drew a large audience to a packed hall for three round tables and the presentation of the Montesquieu Literary Prize.
Moderated by Jean Petaux and programmed by Jérôme Coutou, the round tables explored issues of sovereignty, international power dynamics, and the influence of digital technology. Philosopher Michel Onfray opened the discussions with a talk on political nationhood, sovereignty, and national identity. Subsequently, Olivier Costa (CNRS, CEVIPOF), Alain Wang, and Nicolas Monceau addressed the position of nations in relation to empires, from China to Turkey, and Europe's capacity to defend its interests. Finally, Jérôme Coutou, Mathieu Andro, and Alain Wang discussed the power of major digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and methods for their regulation. The numerous questions from the audience demonstrated the significant interest these topics generated.
The day was also marked by the presentation of the Montesquieu La Brède Literary Prize to Vanessa de Senarclens for her debut work, La bibliothèque retrouvée : une enquête (The Rediscovered Library: An Investigation). This book traces the fate of a Pomeranian library whose volumes were dispersed across Europe. The award ceremony was attended by representatives from the City of La Brède, the Mollat bookstore, and the Jacqueline de Chabannes Foundation, founding members of the prize, as well as jury members. A book signing session followed the encounter with the author.
In closing, the mayor, Michel Dufranc, emphasized the need for public authority to regulate digital giants and establish international ethical rules, echoing Montesquieu's quote: « It is necessary that, by the arrangement of things, power should stop power. »
