The Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought emerged to representation and promote the diverse traditions that comprise the subject of political thought.

Our main activities are the Political Thought Conference and the Early- and Mid-Career Prizes.

BIAPT came into existence through the Political Thought conference, which has been taking place since the 1970s. The conference is traditionally held in January, and for many years was based in Oxford (originally at New College, then for many years at St Catherine’s). A vital part of the intellectual and professional calendar, BIAPT has now introduced a peripatetic format for the conference in line with its aim to promote and represent political thought as studied throughout Britain and Ireland.

The 2025 conference will be held at the University of York in January 2025. You can find further information about it here.