Jean-Philippe Genet has been professor at the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) for many years, specialising in European cultural and political history. He coordinated the CNRS 'Genèse de l'État moderne' and the ESF 'Origins of the Modern State' programs and more recently the ERC 'Signs and States' project. His publications include La Genèse de l'État moderne: Culture et société politique en Angleterre (2003) and Les îles britanniques des origines à la fin du Moyen Âge (2005).