Sweet Briar professor on post-‘Brexit’ possibilities

Prof. John Ashbrook


John Ashbrook, an associate professor of history at Sweet Briar College, will give a talk titled “Brexit and the Future of Europe” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, in the Mary Helen Cochran Library Browsing Room. The event is free and open to the public.

The United Kingdom’s June referendum in which Britons voted to leave the European Union shocked the world. “Brexit,” as Britain’s exit is popularly called, is again in the headlines as Prime Minister Theresa May formally initiated the process of leaving the EU on March 29.

Ashbrook, who has researched EU expansion and politics since 2008, promises to “cut through the political hype of the Brexit vote.”

He will begin with a brief history of the UK’s relationship to Europe in the post-World War II era and its role as a reluctant partner in the European project. He offers a positive analysis of Britain’s role in the world after Brexit, with opportunities arising from closer relations with Central and Eastern European states and America.

“With all the anti-Brexit hysteria surrounding the UK’s summer vote to exit the EU, I want to offer a counter-opinion to illustrate the possibilities for Britain outside ‘Europe’ and a renewed trans-Atlantic partnership,” he says.

Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Kate Chavigny at kchavigny@sbc.edu.