The Network for the Study of Contemporary Monarchies (REMCO) came into being with the aim of promoting research, debate and the comparative study of contemporary monarchies, with a view to fostering and sharing knowledge of the institution and its role in contemporary societies.
In spite of its presence in over forty countries worldwide and its outstanding contribution to the stability and prosperity of numerous nations, the monarchy has traditionally received scant attention from the international academic community.
With a view to filling this void, in July 2015 two leading Spanish institutions, the Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies and the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies, organized a seminar in Santander in partnership with the Menéndez Pelayo International University on the subject of ‘Constitution, Monarchy and Democracy’, which was attended by renowned experts from different countries and academic disciplines.
In light of the interest generated by this seminar, the three original promoting institutions, later joined by the Spanish Transition Foundation, decided to institutionalize their collaboration and create REMCO, which formally came into being in February 2016.
In organizational terms, REMCO will consist of an Advisory Board bringing together prominent civil society leaders from Spain and other countries, as well as a multidisciplinary Academic Board made up of leading experts in the field. These boards will be assisted by a permanent secretariat, which will be housed in the Elcano Royal Institute.
The Network aims to contribute to the academic study of the history, evolution, current role and future development of monarchies in different geographic, political and cultural contexts. The Network will pay specific attention to issues such as the role of monarchies in their respective nations’ foreign policy and their contribution to processes of democratization and national reconciliation.
With these goals in mind, REMCO will encourage and make available academic research on the aforementioned topics by sponsoring seminars, conferences, debates and other public events, and will seek to be active in social media.
