Convict Australia and Utilitarianism: Jeremy Bentham's 'Writings on Australia'

澳大利亚罪犯与功利主义：杰里米·边沁的“澳大利亚著作”

• 批准号: AH/M009548/1
• 负责人: Thomas Schofield
• 金额: $ 61.55万
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FM009548%2F1
• 关键词: Convict; Australia; Utilitarianism; Jeremy; Bentham

The history of convict transportation, and in particular the emergence of Australia as a political state, is a subject of mounting interest, both within academic circles and among the general public. The critical period was the very end of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century, when the opening up of Australia, in the first place for transported felons, and in the next place for free settlers, gave rise to debates about crime and punishment, colonialism, and imperialism. One of the most important contributors to this debate was the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), whose writings on Australia were drawn upon by opponents of convict transportation in order to change the policy of the British government. There is, however, no authoritative and hence satisfactory edition of Bentham's writings on the subject. Hence, the centrepiece of this research is a critical edition of Bentham's 'Writings on Australia', which will form part of the Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham, and will be published by the Clarendon Press. Open access versions of the texts will be made freely available online. The volume will contain 'Panopticon versus New South Wales', 'A Plea for the Constitution' (both written in 1802, and eventually published in 1812), and 'Colonization Society Proposal' (written in 1831, but never hitherto published). In the first two texts, Bentham argued that transportation did not fulfil the proper ends of punishment, namely deterrence and reform, and that the policy of transportation was unconstitutional. The printed texts of these two works will be supplemented by the original manuscripts in University College London Library, which contain early drafts and a substantial unpublished addition for 'Plea for the Constitution'. The drafts are particularly important in that they are more radical and confrontational than the printed texts, and show that Bentham may have moderated his views because of fears of prosecution for sedition. In the third text, influenced by Edward Gibbon Wakefield's systematic colonization system, Bentham argues in favour of establishing a free, democratic colony, a project that came to fruition in South Australia. The volume will contain full historical annotation, an editorial introduction, and name and subject indexes. Seminal texts in the history of transportation and colonization will be made available for the first time in an authoritative edition. The researchers will produce original interpretive scholarship that will investigate (1) the relationship between Bentham's writings on Australia and his penal theory more generally, as well as their place in the development of his political radicalism; (2) the influence and impact of Bentham's ideas on the theory and practice of punishment in convict Australia; and (3) the influence and impact of Bentham's ideas on advocates and opponents of transportation and colonization in the first half of the nineteenth century, which have in turn shaped perceptions of Australian history ever since. A conference will be held with the aim of to assessing still further the significance of the new edition of Bentham's writings, and to stimulate new research on the intellectual history and theory of colonialism, liberalism, and imperialism, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including philosophy, law, and history. The conference will in turn give rise to a collection of edited essays. The project will engage the interest of the general public in its research through a regular series of blogs and tweets, a YouTube video highlighting the significance of Bentham's views on convict Australia, and the exploitation of our contacts with the media.

囚犯运输的历史，特别是澳大利亚作为一个政治国家的出现，是学术界和公众日益感兴趣的话题。关键时期是十八世纪末和十九世纪上半叶，当时澳大利亚的开放，首先是针对流放的重罪犯，其次是针对自由定居者，引发了关于犯罪的辩论和惩罚、殖民主义和帝国主义。这场辩论最重要的贡献者之一是功利主义哲学家杰里米·边沁（Jeremy Bentham，1748-1832），他关于澳大利亚的著作被囚犯运输的反对者用来改变英国政府的政策。然而，边沁关于这一主题的著作并没有权威的、令人满意的版本。因此，这项研究的核心内容是边沁《澳大利亚著作》的批评版，该版本将成为杰里米·边沁文集的一部分，并将由克拉伦登出版社出版。这些文本的开放获取版本将在网上免费提供。该卷将包含“圆形监狱与新南威尔士州”、“对宪法的恳求”（均写于 1802 年，最终于 1812 年出版）和“殖民社会提案”（写于 1831 年，但迄今从未出版）。在前两篇文章中，边沁认为交通并没有实现惩罚的应有目的，即威慑和改革，并且交通政策是违宪的。这两部作品的印刷文本将由伦敦大学学院图书馆的原始手稿进行补充，其中包含早期草稿和《宪法辩护》的大量未发表的补充内容。这些草稿尤为重要，因为它们比印刷文本更加激进和更具对抗性，并且表明边沁可能因为担心因煽动叛乱而受到起诉而缓和了自己的观点。在第三篇文章中，受爱德华·吉本·韦克菲尔德（Edward Gibbon Wakefield）系统殖民体系的影响，边沁主张建立一个自由、民主的殖民地，这一计划在南澳大利亚取得了成果。该卷将包含完整的历史注释、编辑介绍以及名称和主题索引。交通和殖民史上的重要文本将首次以权威版本形式提供。研究人员将产生原创的解释性学术成果，调查（1）边沁关于澳大利亚的著作与他更广泛的刑罚理论之间的关系，以及它们在他的政治激进主义发展中的地位； （二）边沁思想对澳大利亚罪犯刑罚理论和实践的影响和影响； (3)边沁的思想对十九世纪上半叶交通和殖民化的倡导者和反对者的影响和影响，进而塑造了此后对澳大利亚历史的看法。将举行一次会议，旨在进一步评估新版边沁著作的意义，并从不同学科的角度激发对殖民主义、自由主义和帝国主义思想史和理论的新研究，包括哲学、法律和历史。会议将依次产生编辑论文集。该项目将通过一系列定期博客和推文、强调边沁对澳大利亚囚犯观点重要性的 YouTube 视频以及利用我们与媒体的联系来吸引公众对其研究的兴趣。

项目成果

'The evacuation of that scene of wickedness and wretchedness': Jeremy Bentham, the panopticon, and New South Wales, 1802-3

“邪恶和悲惨场景的疏散”：杰里米·边沁，圆形监狱和新南威尔士州，1802-3

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Journal of Australian Colonial History
• 作者: Causer T

Writings on Australia, VI. A Plea for the Constitution

关于澳大利亚的著作，VI。

• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Bentham J

Writings on Australia, III. Letter to Lord Pelham (pre-publication version)

关于澳大利亚的著作，III。

• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Bentham J

Writings on Australia, VII. Colonization Company Proposal (pre-publication version)

关于澳大利亚的著作，七。

• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Bentham J

Writings on Australia, IV. Second Letter to Lord Pelham (pre-publication version)

关于澳大利亚的著作，IV。

• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Bentham J