Pablo Sánchez León

Pablo Sánchez León

Name and family name / Izen eta abizenak / Nombre y apellidos

Pablo SÁNCHEZ LEÓN

Academic address / Helbide akademikoa / Datos académicos

Department of Contemporary History
Faculty of Letters
University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
01006 Vitoria (Álava), Spain

E-mail: p.sleon@ehu.eus

Academic profile / Profil akademikoa / Perfil académico

My career began inspired by the historical sociology of modernizing social change. My PhD was a pioneering study on the formation of the Hispanic monarchy based on the comparison of social and political conflicts in two Castilian cities. In its wake, I have been one of the few Spanish scholars to publish in the prestigious journal Past and Present.

In my specialization I benefited from a two-year postdoctoral stay at the Center for Social Theory and Comparative History at UCLA, where I acquired critical knowledge about identity theory, which I later applied to contexts of social conflicts in the Hispanic world between the Early Modern and Modern times, offering renovating points of view for a non-utilitarian theory of agency and in connection with the study of the language of protest. For twenty years now, I have been one of the promoters of history of citizenship in Spain, participating in numerous research projects, where I have stood out in collaborative work. Other of my topics of reflection and research are memory studies and the renewal of narrative frameworks on Spanish history.

Throughout my career I have been mainly a researcher, but I have also worked as a teacher. Between 2004 and 2006 I was visiting professor in the Department of History at Sabanci University (Istanbul), where I was in charge of training doctoral students. Between 2006 and 2010 I taught modern history and history of social movements at a Faculty of Political Sciences in Madrid, where three of my students have later produced doctoral theses between political science and the history of thought that I have supervised.

In 2010 I joined Iberconceptos, the large network that brings together dozens of international researchers working on Ibero-american conceptual history. I have been co-editor of its second dictionary, co-founder of the first magazine of conceptual history in Spanish (Ariadna historica) and organizer of international conferences on its topics. As part of two of its teams (temporality and fundamental concepts), I have elaborated many publications on conceptual change in transitional periods from a comparative perspective. Besides that, I coordinate the team on the Mixed Constitution, an emerging topic that I have introduced among Ibero-american scholars.

Between 2019 and 2024 I have worked at the CHAM Center for the Humanities in NOVA University of Lisbon, where I have managed to converge all my specialized training within the social sciences and humanities. During my stay I published a book on the language of citizenship between the 18th and 19th centuries that was chosen for translation into English. I also coordinated the thematic line “Theory and Methodology” of CHAM, in charge of debates among its members for developing the center´s strategic project. More importantly, thanks to a grant from CHAM I was able to put together as co-PI two candidacies for ERC-Synergy projects, the first of which passed the first stage of evaluation and received very encouraging comments. This venture has consolidated me as a specialist in comparative imperial studies in the passage to modernity.

In 2025 I have obtained an ATRAE project from the Spanish Ministry of Science, which has brought me back to the Spanish academic setting, this time to the Institute of Social History “Valentín de Foronda” at the Vitoria campus of the University of the Basque Country (EHU). There I am currently putting together a research team and an international network for the comparative study of imperial cultures, and their social and political conflicts. This 3-year project includes applying for a COST project and a Doctoral Network (DN) from the EU programs for creating a research and teaching hub at EHU.

Throughout my career I have published over 10 books as author or editor and more than forty both articles and book chapters. I have also translated a dozen academic books into Spanish from English and Italian.

My Google Scholar profile shows the dynamism of my citations: h10: 52 (33 since 2020). I also evaluated research projects for Spanish public institutions and I am peer-reviewer in over a dozen journals in my fields.

Research lines / Ikerketa ildoak / Líneas de investigación

  • Imperial history.
  • History of time.
  • Conceptual history and intellectual history.
  • History of Social Movements and Conflicts.
  • Early Modern and Modern History.

Selected research publications / Ikerketak argitalpen aipagarriak / Publicaciones relevantes

  • P. Sánchez León and A. Cosovschi (eds.) (2026), European Perspectives on Transition. A Comparative and Transnational Approach to the History of a Political and Social Concept, New York, Berghahn Books. Isbn: 978-1-83695-224-4. Co-editor, co-author of Introduction and Concluding remaks and author of a chapter comparing Spain and Portugal. https://doi.org/10.3167/9781836952244.
  • P. Sánchez León and B. Herreros (eds.) (2024), Resistance in the Iberian Worlds from the Fiteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Dissent and Disobedience from Within, London, Palgrave-Macmillan. isbn: 978-3-031-63405-5 . Coathor of introduction and author of afterword. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63406-2.
  • P. Sánchez León (2024), “Historical Narratives and the Essentialist Hazards of Populism in Spain”. In B. Bebernage, E. Metsdage, W. Ramalho and M.-G. Verbergt (eds.), Claiming the People´s Past: Populist Politics of History in 21st Century, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 209-226. Isbn: 978-10-094-88082. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009453615.013.
  • P. Sánchez León (2024), “Resignificar las movilizaciones sociales en la crisis de los imperios ibéricos, 1760s-1830s” [Resignifying social mobilizations in the crisis of Iberian empires, 1760s-1830s], Historia Social 109: 131-152. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48777816.
  • P. Sánchez León (2022), “El pueblo en el primer liberalismo hispano: lenguaje, identidad colectiva y representación política” [People in early Spanish Liberalism: language, collective identity and political representation”, Araucaria. Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofía, Política, Humanidades y Relaciones Internacionales 49: 473-498.
  • P. Sánchez León (2020), Popular Political Participation and the Democratic Imagination in Spain. From Crowd to People, 1766-1868, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 362 p. isbn: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52596-5. Spanish version in 2022.
  • C. Aljovín de Losada, G. Caetano, N. Golman, G. Zermeño, J. Fernández Sebastián (CA), P. Sánchez León (12/14) (2014), Diccionario político y social del mundo iberoamericano. Conceptos políticos fundamentales, 1770-1870 [Political and social dictionary of the Iberoamerican world. Fundamental political concepts], Madrid, Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales – U. del País Vasco, 10 volumes.  isbn: 978-84-259-1598-7.
  • P. Sánchez León (2013), “European Provincial Towns: Demographic and Institutional Trends in Regional Networks, 1400-1600”. In B. Rial Costas (ed.), Print culture and Peripheries in Early Modern Europe: A Contribution to the History of Printing and the Book Trade in Small European and Spanish cities, Leiden, Brill, 3-34. ISBN 978-90-04-23574-8.
  • P. Sánchez León (2011), “Conceiving the Multitude: Eighteenth-Century Popular Riots and the Modern Language of Social Disorder”, International Review of Social History 56/3: 511-533. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020859011000393.
  • P. Sánchez León (2007), “Changing Patterns of Urban Conflict in Late Medieval Castile”, Past and Present 195 Suppl. 2: 217-232. https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gtm032.

Congresses (selection from last 10 years)

  • “Imperial debris: on the semantics of “Ruination” in early modern Hispanic culture”, 26th International Conference of the History of Concepts Group, “Images of Historical Times. Concepts, Metaphors, and Arts”, Bologna, October 27th-29th 2025. Communication.
  • International Seminar. “Old empires in recovery: Lisbon to Moscow, 1700s-1900s”, CHAM Center for the Humanities, Nova University of Lisbon, June 27th 2024. Organizer and participant with paper.
  • “Understanding Early Modern Rebellions”, Workshop “Patterns of Rebellion in the Iberian Empires 16th-19th centuries”, CIDEHUS-Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Octiber 3rd 2023. Chair y Discussant.
  • “Historical semantics of revolution”. VII International Summer School Concepta-Iberoamérica in conceptual history:, El Colegio de México-Concepta school, July 26th, 2023. México City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TvGRoQU918. Invited lecture.
  • Round Table: “The time(s) of Empires: Rise, decadence and after in comparative perspective, 18th-19th centuries”, University of Public Service (Budapest), March 21st 2023. Organizer and participant.
  • International Conference “Monarchy, aristocracy, democracy. The mixed constitution and modern political culture”, CHAM Centre for the Humanities—Faculty of Law, NOVA University of Lisbon, September 26th 2022. Organizer and participant with paper.
  • V International CHAM Conference 2021 “Frontiers of Humanity and Beyond: Towards New Critical Understandings of Borders”, Centro de Humanidades CHAM – Nova University of Lisbon, July 21st-23rd, 2021. Organizer, Chair of the Scientific Committee and participant with 2 papers.
  • International Conference: “Marx y la crítica de la economía política: contribuciones a una tradición”, , Bilbao, U. de of Bssque Country. 1st-3rd, 2018. Co-organizer, participant with a paper and coeditor of the proceedings.
  • XVIth International Conference on the History of Concepts: “Cross-Cultural and Cross-Disciplinary Transfers, Entanglements, Receptions, Translations and Redefinitions in Conceptual History”, Bilbao, August 29th-31st, 2016. Co-organizer, participant and coeditor of proceedings.

Research projects

  • “Crossing through decadence: Temporality, agency and reforms in the Portuguese, Hispanic, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, 1700s-1900s” (Acronym: EMPIREPOSTDECAY) (ATR2024-154403), 01/09/2025-31/08/2028. University of the Basque Country. Budget: 893.575 euro. Principal Investigator.
  • “Decadence and after from the edges of Europe: A joint study of the 18th-19th centuries Iberian, Habsburg, Ottoman and Russian Empires” (Acronym: EMPIREX5), ERC-Synergy grant 2024 and 2025 applications. Co-PI (with Isa Blumi -Stockholm University- and Melis Hafez -Virginia Commonwealth University-). Nova University of Lisbon/Sabanci University. Budget: 9.969.002 euro. Failed.
  • “Entangling indigenous knowledge in universities” (Acronym: EDGES). HORIZON-MSCA Staff Exchanges network (GA: 101130077). PI: Pablo Ibáñez Bonillo (U. NOVA of Lisbon). 01/01/2024-31/12/2027. Budget: 1.389.200 euro. Member of the NOVA research team (WP1).
  • “Exploring the temporality of imperial post-decadence and its influence on modern culture and politics”. CHAM exploratory projects for research funding applications (2022), U. Nova of Lisbon. IP: Pablo Sánchez León. 01/07/2022-30/06/2024. Budget: 8.800 euro. 
  • “Resistance and rebellion in the Iberian empires, 16th-19th centuries” (Acronym: RESISTANCE). MSCA-RISE project 2017 Call (H2020-778076). PI: Mafalda Soares da Cunha (U. of Evora). 01/06/2018-31/05/2024. Budget: 1.030.500 euro. Member of the NOVA research team and Work Package Leader del WP2 (“Everyday Forms of Resistance”).
  • “History of corruption and political mistrust in Spain”. PIs: Gema Rubí Casals - Lluis Ferrán Toledano (Autónoma University of Barcelona). MCINN reseach projects call 2022 (PID2022-140247NB-I00). 01/09/2023-30/08/2027. Budget: 71.837 euro. Member of work team.
  • “Collective violence and popular protest in Spanish towns: The War of Independence” (Acronym: VICES). PI: José María Cardesín (Universidad de A Coruña). MCINN Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento 2019 (num.: PID2019-106182GB-I00). 01/01/2020-31/12/2022. Budget: 58.080€. Member of the research team.
  • “Tradition and constitution: Constituional problems in Early modern and Modern Spain, 1715-1918” (Acronym: HICOES VI)”. MINECO research projects 2014 call (num.: DER2014-56291-C3-1-P). PIs: Marta Lorente, Fernando Martínez (U. Autónoma of  Madrid) and Federico Fernández-Crehuet (U. of Granada). 01/01/2015-31/12/2019. Budget: 38.720 euro. Member of the research team.
  • “Interdisciplinary approach to the legal-political language of euroamerican modernity. Spatial-temporal dimensions”, MINECO research projects call (num.: HAR2017-84032-P)”. PIs: Javier Fernández Sebastián - Javier Tajadura (U. of the Basque Country). 01/09/2018-31/08/2021. Budget: 36.300 euro. Member of the research team.
  • “Conceptual history, constitutionalism and modernity in Spain, Europe and the iberian world. An interdisciplinary approach”. MINECO research projects (number: HAR2013-42779-P). PIs:. Javier Fernández Sebastián and Javier Tajadura (U. of the Basque Country). 01/09/2014-31/08/2017. Funding: 72.600 euros. Member of the research team.

Other merits

My concern for approaching knowledge of the past in complex multicultural societies following the crisis of the idea of progressive future has committed me to “thinking historically” about timely problems. My interest in the democratization of knowledge about the past beyond the academic world has materialized in various pioneering activities: in 2007 I co-produced the first Spanish radio program on history and memory (Contratiempo), with over 300 programs until 2015. In the 2010s I was the coordinator of history course for citizens (Teatro del Barrio), and since 2016 I have my own non-profit publishing house (Postmetropolis), with more than 40 paperbacks published and over 15 free download texts on history and memory. Since January 2025 I coordinate a blog on History and Memory in journal El Salto. “El león dormido… despierta”.