What exactly is a republic anyway?
Nation & World What exactly is a republic anyway? Enrollment for “What is a Republic?” has quadrupled since Professor Daniel Carpenter (pictured) last taught the course two years ago.Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Christy DeSmith Harvard Staff Writer March 4, 2025 6 min read Government professor looks at long history, evolution of form of governance in class that’s drawing high interest in current moment “These peculiar people call themselves republicans.” Daniel Carpenter, the Allie S. Freed Professor of Government, presented his class with an image of emotional demonstrators waving red, white, and blue flags. Except there were no ruby-red MAGA hats in this contemporary newspaper photo. “They were gathered, dressed in yellow for maximum visibility, to chant: ‘Not my king!’” Carpenter explained. These self-styled British republicans, opposed to the 2023 coronation of King Charles III, proved the perfect opening for Carpenter’s spring 2025 “What is a Republic?” The Gen Ed offering, also available online via Harvard Extension School, has struck a...