Lunch & Fellowship with Iris de Rode

Iris' dissertation focuses on François-Jean de Chastellux (1734-1788), a French philosopher and Major General of the French expeditionary forces during the American War of Independence. Chastellux is relevant because of his networks: as a well-known nobleman, he was part of the French court; as a philosophe and academician, he was a valued member of the Republic of letters; and as an officer he was prominent in the French army.

This year, Iris is preparing a biography on Chastellux. The account of his life and the analysis of his ideas serve as a window into the inner workings of the “Ancien Régime” in France, the Atlantic Republic of letters, and the military and intellectual processes of the Franco-American alliance during the War of Independence.

About Iris de Rode

Iris de Rode is a Dutch PhD-candidate in France, at the University of Paris VIII, under supervision of Prof. Bertrand Van Ruymbeke. Iris teaches European, American and Transatlantic history at SciencesPo. She is the co-author of La Marche sur Yorktown, le journal de Mathieu Dumas (16 juin-6 octobre 1781), with Bertrand Van Ruymbeke (2018).

Recipient of the Chastellux Research Fellowship funded by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.